The Calm Before the Storm
by Reluctant Princess
Summary: Emma deals with the here and now after her return from a trip through time. She's told everyone that she is not leaving Storybrooke and now she has to deal with the guilt of making things difficult for Regina and navigating through her budding romance with Killian. This will take place between the end of Season 3 and beginning of Season 4. The calm before the "Frozen" storm. But is
1. Chapter 1

_I hope you didn't bring anything else back..._

The words echoed in Emma's mind as she recalled Hook's warning about changing the past. Of all the people she could bring back, it would be the one person who could destroy Regina's happiness.

The door to Granny's diner opened and Hook stepped outside. "I should have listened to you and let fate take its course," she told him.

He sat down next to her and put an arm around her, "you did what you felt was right," he said, "How were you to know who she was?"

"I'd feel a lot better if you just said 'I told you so', because you did tell me so. I didn't listen and I've really screwed things up." Her voice wavered a bit and she shut her eyes, begging the tears to not start.

"That won't make you feel any better," he said, "and if you had left that woman to die, we would be sitting here having a similar conversation. No matter what road you took, there would still be guilt."

"Would there be guilt? She asked, "You said it was her fate. That changing her fate could mess up the future. We tried to prevent it by bringing her back, but that managed to make it worse."

"So the only option is to beat yourself up?" He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder. "People make mistakes, Swan. All we can is do is take the lesson and move forward."

Emma nodded, but didn't say any more. The door opened again and Regina stepped out. After taking one look at Emma and Hook she rolled her eyes, "surely you don't mean to coddle her like a child."

"I'm not coddling her," Hook stated.

"You don't have to defend me," Emma spoke up. She looked up at Regina, trying to find the words, but "I'm sorry" just felt silly and useless.

"Don't apologize," Regina said as if she already knew what Emma was thinking, "empty words aren't going to take anything back."

"I had no intentions of hurting anyone," Emma said, "I know I messed up-"

"Well you got that right." Regina scoffed.

"Regina," Hook interrupted, "do you really think berating her will solve anything?"

"I'll fix this." Emma said quickly. She had no idea how she could possibly fix things, but she couldn't just pretend it never happened. Hook was right, she had to take the lesson and move forward. "I don't know how, but I'll fix this."

"There is no fixing this." Regina snapped. "You never struck me as the naive type, but right now, all I see is your mother starting that chain that cost me Daniel."

Hook let go of Emma and stood, "again," he said, "this is not getting us anywhere. She feels bad enough, making her feel worse isn't going to help the situation."

"Are you going to fight all her battles for her?" Regina hissed.

"She fights her own battles," he returned, "but right now, both of you need to go to your neutral corners before this escalates any further."

Regina smirked at Hook and shot Emma a look. "When your boy lets you put the gloves back on, you know where to find me." With that, she turned and started walking home.

"I'll fix it," Emma said as she stood to face Hook.

"I know, love." He pulled her into a hug, "but right now you need to go upstairs and get some rest while you gather your thoughts. This isn't going to be an easy fix, if you can fix it at all."

Emma knew he was right, but didn't move away from him. She wasn't quite ready to go back in and face everyone just yet. She wasn't sure how much anyone else had heard, but they had all seen Marian reunite with the family that thought she was lost to them forever.

"Let's go in and sit with your parents," Hook suggested. He sensed her reluctance to go back inside, "everyone is distracted with their own business, no one will pay you any mind." Emma nodded and put on a brave face. Hook let go of her and stepped up to open the door for her.

Once she stepped inside, Emma saw that Hook was right. No one batted an eye at her return. Quickly, she sat down next to Snow who was quick to try and comfort her. "It'll be okay," she said, "everything will work out. You'll see."

Emma gave a weak smile and looked over to Marian, who was happily getting reacquainted with her son. Robin however, seemed to be both happy and confused as his glances went from his wife and son to the door Regina had walked out of.

"Emma," Hook whispered as he slid into the booth next to her, "there's nothing you can do tonight, stop worrying about it. Just for now."

"You can stay with us tonight," Snow suggested, "like old times."

Emma smiled, remembering the many nights she and her mother spent talking about anything and everything. Of course, she didn't know that Snow was her mother at the time, but she still missed having that one friend she could talk to. "You have a baby," she reasoned, "you're already exhausted and you don't need to take care of your wayward daughter on top of waking up every two hours. Henry and I can just hang out here and we can see you tomorrow."

"Oh..." Henry scrunched his nose, "I was going to stay with grams and gramps. I already asked."

"He did," David said.

"We already said yes," Snow admitted, "we just got him back, we missed him. And you. Just stay with us."

"Then we can go look at apartments tomorrow." Henry said, "It'll be fun."

"It would be good to be with your family," Hook said, "go with them. You've been without them long enough."

"Okay." Emma laughed, "I'll stay in that crowded little loft instead of wallowing alone in my hotel room."


	2. Chapter 2

"I thought you said infants were nature's alarm clocks," Hook whispered. Emma didn't open her eyes, she just wanted a little extra sleep.

"They are," she heard Henry whisper back, "but they have to be crying."

"Poke him again." Hook instructed.

"Will you two leave my son alone?" Snow scolded, "If you wake him up, he'll be your responsibility until you get him back to sleep."

Hook and Henry exchanged a look, as if they were debating the consequences. "Do you know anything about babies?" Henry asked.

"No," Hook answered, "you?"

"Nope." Henry frowned, thinking their game was over.

"Do it anyway," Hook said, "Emma will help us."

Emma opened one eye and watched Hook and Henry hover over her baby brother, trying to make him wake up. He wasn't much of a crier, but his fussing every couple of hours hadn't made sleep easy the night prior. "Emma most certainly will not help you." She said as she gave up chasing that extra bit of rest.

"Mom!" Henry said quietly, but excitedly, "get up. Grams made breakfast, so get up." He stuck a newspaper in her face with several ads circled, "I already looked through the rentals so we can go apartment hunting today. Hook helped me find the ones that look best."

"Give me a minute," Emma grumbled as she took the paper from henry.

"Are you jet lagged?" Hook asked, "Henry thought that time travel made you jet lagged. What does that mean?"

"It means I'm going to be really cranky if you two make Neal cry in order to wake me up," Emma teased.

"Henry is the mastermind," Hook said. When Henry shot him a look, he shrugged, "sorry lad, every man for himself."

"Don't listen," Snow spoke up, "they were both in on the plot."

"Yeah," Emma sat up, "I heard." She looked at Henry, "so what kind of apartments count as good ones according to you and Hook?"

"Swimming pools." Henry stated, "They have to have a swimming pool." Before he continued on apartment necessities, he asked, "Can Hook come stay with us?"

"Did you put him up to that?" Emma asked Hook.

"I told him no," Hook answered.

"He also said it was your call." Henry said.

"I did not say that," Hook argued, "stop twisting my words."

"Turnabout is fair play," Snow laughed, "you threw him under the bus with the Neal thing,"

"He can at least come look with us, right?" Henry started to beg.

"Can I have a few minutes to wake up?" She asked.

"It's after ten," Hook stated.

Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled as she got off the couch that had been her bed for the night. "Is there any breakfast left?"

"I've got it," Henry said as he went into the kitchen, "I'll heat it up while you get ready."

Emma nodded, set the paper down and disappeared into the bathroom to clean up. She took her time, replaying the previous day's events and wondered if it was all a dream. The noise going on in the kitchen helped her realize everything was real. This was her life, at least for now. Things around Storybrooke were pretty good about shaking things up now and then.

Neal began to fuss and Hook promptly proclaimed his innocence with an, "I didn't do it." Emma looked up at herself in the mirror and laughed. "Looks like you've just inherited a second child, Swan," she told herself. Still, the fact that Henry and Hook got along so well made things easier. She thought back to when she introduced Henry to Walsh and how nerve wracking that had been. True, they'd gotten along, but it wasn't easy at first. She shook her head and reminded herself that none of that was relevant. Walsh was just another reminder that evil could find her whenever it pleased.

"Mom!" Henry shouted, "Breakfast!"

Emma finished up and went back out to the kitchen. Snow was tending to Neal and Henry and Hook were practically at the door, ready to get on with their day. Emma just shook her head and ate her breakfast, slow enough to drive them both crazy. Once she finished, she shot both of them a look, "can you two please refrain from whatever..." She scrunched her nose, not sure what word to use.

"Hijinks?" Henry asked.

"Shenanigans?" Hook suggested.

"Whatever," she laughed as she grabbed her coat, "let's go."

"Good luck!" Snow chuckled as the trio headed out the door. 

* * *

Emma had lost count of how many apartments they had seen by midday. Hook and Henry did most of the talking, and Emma just let them. After all, Henry seemed to know what he wanted and she could ask the tough questions when the time came.

Right now she just wanted to be able to process everything. It was what she had been trying to do all night and when she first woke in the morning. Things were changing at a rapid pace and she wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Talking with Snow helped a bit, but her head was still spinning. "Emma?" She shook her head and snapped back to reality. Hook was giving her a funny look, so she knew she had to have spaced out for a decent amount of time.

"Yes," she said.

"Henry said he likes this one," Hook said.

"It has three rooms!" Henry exclaimed, "And a swimming pool!"

"Kid," Emma laughed, "There's two of us."

"I know," Henry rolled his eyes, "but think of all the possibilities. We could have a game room, or a home gym, or-"

"Or, we can say that there are two of us and three bedrooms is just a little out of my price range at the moment," Emma said, "How did this even wind up on your list?"

"Wishful thinking," Henry shrugged, "besides, where are we going to put Neal when we babysit? You _know _we're going to babysit eventually."

Henry put his head down, defeated, "Okay."

"There's another apartment in this complex that you might like," the woman showing the place said, "It's two bedroom, two bath and you still have access to the swimming pool. Plus, the living room is larger than this one."

"Really?" Henry asked, excited again.

Without hesitation, they were taken to an apartment on the other side of the building. Emma looked around, noting the woman was right and it would probably be perfect. After taking care of the business side of things, everything was set. Now all that was left was the actual moving part.

"We should go to New York and get our stuff." Henry suggested, "We can't just leave it there."

"You're right," Emma nodded, "Think it's time for a road trip?"


	3. Chapter 3

Driving a moving truck was never Emma's favorite thing, but the trip itself wasn't all that bad. She laughed as Henry excitedly took in everything, reminding her of their trip to Manhattan with Mr. Gold just over a year ago.

Henry had begged for Hook to come with them, but Emma wanted some real alone time with her son. She couldn't deny that the duo had formed a tight bond over the past few days, but she needed them to slow down. For her sake at least. When it came to fairy tales and true love, Henry was pretty much the resident expert, but Emma needed to remind him that even though she was in the book, she wasn't much of a fairy tale character.

"So why can't Hook move in with us?" Henry finally asked, pulling her away from her thoughts. "You love him don't you?"

Emma was taken aback, how did he pick up on that? "Well," she stammered, "that's not really the point." She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to drop the subject, "it doesn't work like that in this world. You know that."

"The whole time travel thing was your troll bridge," Henry sounded annoyed.

Emma smiled, remembering the moments she spent watching her parents fall in love. Hook was right, it wasn't something everyone got to see, so she cherished the memory. "If you remember, they didn't just pack up and move in together after that."

"Because they couldn't." Henry stated.

"Well, we can't either." Emma said, "besides, he's got a place to stay, if that's what you're worried about."

"Granny's?" Henry rolled his eyes, "thats not a home."

"Kid," Emma laughed, "he's fine. We're just going to take things one step at a time."

"Or you could just get married," Henry suggested.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you two get along, but don't you think you're jumping the gun? I only just started being okay with having feelings for the guy."

"Just feelings?" Henry laughed, "he traded his ship for you. We both know that ship was his baby."

"How did you know he did that?" Emma asked. She certainly didn't tell him. The only reason Henry knew anything at all was because he happened to see them kissing outside Granny's. She didn't want to get his hopes up so soon, but unfortunately, it looked like that had already happened.

"He told me," Henry answered, "yesterday, while you were still sleeping."

Emma couldn't help but laugh, of course he would tell Henry. Henry could get information out of anyone with very little effort. The kid was pretty good at that, she had to admit.

"So," Henry continued, "I fail to see the problem."

"I fail to see why we're even discussing this. You're twelve. The pace of my love life isn't really something you need to know about. If anything changes, you know I'll let you know. Right now, I'm happy taking things a day at a time." She looked over at him, "that's why I never introduced you to anyone. Not unless I thought it was going somewhere. I never wanted you to get attached to someone who may or may not be a part of our lives forever."

"He's not Walsh, mom," Henry said.

"I know." Her heart sank. It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it hadn't been more than a week or so. Walsh may not have been the most interesting guy in the world, but he was nice and seemed to take a genuine interest in Emma and Henry's lives. Emma was caught off guard when he proposed and until Hook gave her that potion, she almost considered saying yes. She told Henry it didn't work out, but left out the part where Walsh turned into a flying monkey. Thankfully, he didn't ask what happened after she turned down the proposal.

"You were really upset the morning we left for Storybrooke," Henry recalled, "I figured it was because he didn't take things well. Has he tried to call you at all?"

"No." Emma shook her head, "he won't. It was pretty ugly that night." Understatement of the year.

"Did you love him?" He asked, "I mean like really."

Sure, her heart broke when it turned out their entire relationship had been a lie, but she couldn't really say she was IN love. Especially now that she felt what real love could be. It wasn't the same feeling at all. "I think it was more of me being in love with the idea of him. He felt safe, and stable. I never really had that growing up and I guess the idea that he could bring that kind of feeling into our lives..." She sighed, not even sure if she was making sense.

"I get it," Henry nodded.

* * *

Emma had been gone less than a day and already, Hook was going crazy. He wasn't left with many choices when it came to company, so he already found himself spending too much time with David at the sheriff station. The Prince had come around to a point of being okay with Hook being with Emma, but the pirate still felt as if he was being constantly under surveillance by her over protective father.

David was on the phone with a citizen, but he kept a watchful eye on Hook who was doing nothing, just sitting across from him at the desk. After hanging up, David stood, "disturbance call, let's go."

"I'm not doing anything," Hook laughed, "you don't have to glare at me like I'm causing trouble."

"I'm still not sure about you," David said as he grabbed his keys and coat, "forgive me if I have my doubts. Emma may be a big girl, but she's still my daughter."

"She's a big girl," Hook agreed as he stood to join David, "which means she doesn't need you acting like a warden, mate."

"I'm not a warden," David protested, "but your reputation doesn't come with a glowing review."

"You fell in love with a bandit who stole from you," Hook reminded him, "I've done much in my life that many would not be proud of, but I'm also not the same man you met last year. You know that."

"Yeah."

"I'd never hurt her," Hook added.

"Yeah." David frowned, knowing how much pain his daughter had in her life, some of it brought on by the fact that she had been sent to a strange land without them as an infant.

Hook instantly knew what David was thinking about, "you didn't intend for her to be hurt," he said, "please tell me you've forgiven yourself for that. You did what needed to be done."

"Someone's been reading the book," David gave a weak laugh.

"Henry's been catching up," Hook said, "and now that I have my own part in your story..."

"You would like reading about yourself," David rolled his eyes.

"Aye," Hook grinned, "but back to Emma. You have to forgive yourself for that. She's long since forgiven you."

"She has? How would you know that?" David asked.

"I see it in her eyes," Hook said, "she knows you did what you thought best, just as she did with Henry. Whether or not it's the right decision isn't the point, it's the intention behind it."

"I only wanted to give her her best chance," David said, "but..."

"But nothing," Hook cut him off, "you did what you had to do with the best information you had at the time. Now," he said, trying to change the subject, "don't we have a disturbance call?"

"I never knew a pirate who could double as a shrink," David laughed as the two headed to the door.

"I'll take that as a compliment, mate," Hook grinned, wondering what exactly David meant by "shrink".


	4. Chapter 4

Regina paced the floor of her dining room. It had been a day, an entire twenty four hours and some change since Emma took Henry back to New York. How long did it take to pack up an apartment?

She tried to settle her nerves. Emma promised she wouldn't take long, but just a few days ago, she was seriously planning on leaving Storybrooke forever and taking Henry with her. Did something new change her mind?

"No," she told herself, "she has her pirate here pining for her. She wouldn't leave him." Would she?

Quickly, she grabbed her coat and walked out the door, heading as quickly as she could to the sheriff station. As expected, David was there with Hook. "I didn't know the ride along program lasted longer than one shift," she quipped.

"I have two choices," Hook said, "play deputy or play nanny. Which would you choose?"

Regina rolled her eyes and didn't answer him. She turned to David, "well?"

"He's got a point," David shrugged, "Neal's been fussy the last couple days and I could use some help around here."

"That's not what I meant," Regina snapped, "where is my son?"

"Your son is in New York," Hook stated, "they'll be back sometime tonight if possible. Tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"You've heard from Emma?" Regina asked, insulted that no one bothered to call her.

"David's new phone has FaceTime," Hook stated, as if he'd discovered the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Right," Regina was getting annoyed with how relaxed the pirate was. Why wasn't he a nervous wreck like she was? "You're sure they're coming back then?"

"Of course they're coming back," David sighed, "you've got nothing to worry about."

"Emma misses me," Hook grinned. David shot him a look that could most likely kill weaker men. Hook shot a look right back at him, showing he wasn't afraid of the Prince, even if he DID have a gun. "She told me herself," he added, without looking away from David, "and she mentioned she wanted to see me as soon as she returned."

"She has to see us first," David said as he narrowed his eyes, "we've got her keys and are keeping an eye on the place. Why didn't she ask you to do that?"

Hook reached into his pocket and pulled out another key. "I've got a key too, mate."

"Enough!" Regina shouted, "Just...let me know when she gets back. I want to see my son."

"Again," David said, "She's not taking him away. She said she would be back and that you were taking him this weekend. Nothing's going to change that."

As if on cue, the phone rang. David picked it up and answered the video call. "Is that Emma?" Hook asked.

"Yes, Killian," he could hear Emma laugh, "we've just finished loading the last of it and I'm turning in my keys. We'll be on our way soon."

"Give me the phone," Hook instructed.

"Good to hear, Emma," David grinned, ignoring Hook's demands. "There's someone here who wants to speak to Henry though." He flashed Hook a smirk as he handed the phone to Regina.

"You're coming back tonight?" Regina asked.

"It'll probably be late," Emma said, "I can bring Henry by in the morning if you want. That way you can have him three days instead of just over the weekend."

Regina sighed. While it was true she didn't HAVE to deal with sharing Henry, she knew it was what was best for him. She had made her mistakes as a mother and that caused him to go looking for Emma in the first place. Now, they both had a place in his heart and sharing his love was something they would both have to deal with. "That's fine. Can I talk to him?"

"Of course," Emma said. She handed the phone to Henry, who immediately started rambling about their road trip and how much fun he was having and how he couldn't wait to get home.

Regina smiled as she listened to her son tell his story. "I miss you," he finally said, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"That sounds great Henry," Regina said, happy to know that her son missed her, "I'll be waiting."

"Are you two done?" Hook grumbled, "Give me the bloody phone!"

Regina handed the phone to David when Emma came back onto the screen. "Are you two playing keep away from Killian?" She asked.

"No," David laughed, knowing full well that was exactly what he was doing. Watching the pirate get frustrated had become quite amusing.

"Let me talk to him," she said.

"You talked to him yesterday," David said. Emma shot him a look and he laughed again, "alright, I'll let him have the phone." He handed the phone to Hook who by now, was annoyed.

"Your father hates me," Hook stated.

"He doesn't hate you," Emma laughed, "He just knows how to push your buttons."

"When will you be back?" Hook asked, "Your mother showed me how to use the Netflix. I found that Marty McFly chap you were going on about."

"We're leaving in about half an hour," Emma said, amused that he even remembered that conversation, "I can show you how to work the DVD player tomorrow if you like."

"The what?" Hook raised an eyebrow, "that's not important, love. I do however, require a phone."

"We can work on that," Emma agreed.

"I want one like your father's," he stated.

"We'll take a look," she said.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"I need a job," Hook frowned, "everyone has a job here. I can't be tethered to the town sheriff and have no job."

"We'll figure it out," Emma said, "but I have to go now, okay?"

"Okay," Hook said, disappointed he couldn't talk longer. "I'm really glad I can see you when I talk to you, even when you're far away."

"I think you'll be fine in this land," Emma smiled, knowing full well he would never survive without technology now that he was coming to enjoy it so much.

"Good," he said.

"Killian?"

"Yes?"

"I miss you," she said, "I know it hasn't been that long, but I miss you." She had told him the same thing on their previous conversation, but knew that if she missed him, then he needed to hear it.

"I miss you too, love," he said, "but you'll be home soon, and I'll be here."

Regina and David both rolled their eyes in unison.

"Bye," Emma said quietly.

"Goodbye," Hook replied.

The call ended and David took his phone back. "I'm still watching you," he warned.

Hook just shrugged in response. He then looked at Regina, "you see?" He asked, "They're headed back. Nothing to worry about."

Regina nodded and offered a small smile. She was thrilled that Henry would be back and that she would have him for three days. Come Monday, Emma would probably be getting him set up in school, which would make sharing him a bit more difficult, but for now, she was content. She was also curious to see how Emma would "fix" the mess she made. Not that she felt Emma could fix anything, but over the past couple days, she realized that Emma was willing to try and make things right.

The desk phone rang and Hook picked it up, mostly just to annoy David. "Storybrooke Sheriff's office, how can I help you?"

David held out his hand and sighed, "Not funny, hand it over."

Hook leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk, stretching the cord to the limit. "Aye," he said to the person on the other end, "I do hear the commotion." David couldn't hear the person on the line, so he tried to figure out who Hook was talking to by listening to Hook's half of the conversation.

"I understand he's angry, lass," Hook said, "What have you tried to calm him?" He nodded a couple times as the person spoke, then continued, "Not hungry? Tired? All clean and fed, you say?"

"Who's on the damn phone?" David said through clenched teeth. Regina laughed as she began to catch on to what was actually happening.

Hook shot him a look and held up his hook as he continued the conversation. "Well, that's really the extent of my knowledge in that department and this _is _the Sheriff's office, not the child care hotline." He laughed, "However, I do think we have a gentleman here though who can go assist you with the problem. Aye, ten minutes. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and looked at David, "That was your wife, it seems she's having a hard time with your son, who's being quite fussy. I told her you'd be there in ten minutes."

"And that's my cue to leave," Regina said, "I need to get Henry's room ready for him."

"Not funny," David rolled his eyes. Hook just laughed. If David wanted to play a game of pushing buttons, Hook could play right back.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, just want to say a quick thank you for reading and the feedback. I really appreciate it. I'm hoping to wrap this up fairly quickly, but I might be able to squeeze a few more parts out of it.**

Emma awoke to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She looked at the clock and saw that it was barely seven in the morning. David was at her apartment last night, waiting for her to come home so he could give let her in and return her keys, so she was pretty sure it wasn't him at the door. Regina knew she would be bringing Henry by in a couple hours, Henry had called his other mother to let her know the time before they even got home, so she had no reason to pay a visit. Sighing, Emma decided that guessing who was at the door wasn't going to answer the question, so she got up to answer it.

"Killian?" She asked as she looked at the man standing in her doorway.

"You didn't come see me last night," he said, "When you got home."

"Oh," she shook her head, "I'm sorry, we got in late and I just went to bed. I was going to come see you this morning, after I dropped off Henry." She moved aside so he could come into the apartment. "Why didn't you just use your key? I gave you a key so you wouldn't have to knock."

"And what would you have done," he laughed, "Had I come barging in while you were still sleeping? I thought it better just to knock."

"You could have just come by later," she said, "I wouldn't have been asleep."

Hook closed the already small gap between them and gently brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and behind her ear. Emma felt her knees get weak and mentally cursed herself for not being able to stop the butterflies from forming in her stomach. Instinctively, she stepped back, knowing that Henry was just in the next room and he could wake up at any moment.

"What's wrong?" Hook asked, "You said you missed me." He moved closer again and put his hand under her chin, tipping her face up as he leaned down to kiss her. Emma relaxed a little and put her arms around his neck, twisting her fingers up in his hair.

She missed this. Hook had kept a little distance before she made her return trip to New York, especially around her parents and Henry. Even during their goodbyes, all they exchanged was a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. She knew a lot of it was because David made him nervous, but it was also because he was trying to respect Emma's wishes to take things slow. Having Henry walk in on them would be mortifying, but the awkward slowness was driving her downright mad. She pulled back and smiled, "Now where was all that two days ago?"

"I could feel your father giving me a death glare," Hook answered as he leaned down and kissed her again.

Quickly, Emma started thinking rationally again. She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away, "Henry's still here," she said, "I'm sure us kissing is the last thing he wants to see first thing in the morning."

Hook gave a half smile and laughed, "That would be awkward, wouldn't it?"

Emma nodded, "but don't think that taking it easy means skipping this part all together." She moved closer to him again and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her on the top of her head, "as long as your father stops dreaming of causing me bodily harm." He felt Emma shake as she quietly laughed. "It isn't funny, love, it's true."

"What's true?" Henry asked.

Emma and Hook separated like oil and water upon hearing Henry's voice. "It's true that I missed you two," Hook said quickly.

Henry rolled his eyes, "That is the lamest answer I've ever heard. The way you two shot away from each other makes me think you were talking about something completely different."

"Tell me about New York," Hook changed the subject as he took a seat on the couch. Henry sat next to him and started talking. While the two caught up, Emma decided it was a good time to get some breakfast started.

"I think I'm gonna miss it a little bit," she heard Henry say, "I didn't think I would feel that way."

* * *

Emma dropped Henry off with Regina, then she and Hook drove to the sheriff's station. Once they arrived, they found David sitting at the desk, phone in hand. Once he hung up with the caller, he looked at Emma and Hook. Hook took Emma's hand with his good hand while looking at David, as if holding her hand was an act of defiance. David rolled his eyes, "Good to see the Sheriff is back," he said.

"Oh," Emma stammered. She dropped Hook's hand and gave him a 'not now' look. "I wasn't coming back here today. I thought I told you that last night. I just thought I'd stop by to see how you were doing."

"Well," David sighed, "I'm stressed. Snow is tired and I'm trying to keep things under control here and at home. When everything 'settles down' in this town, people tend to panic."

She looked at her father, who really did look completely wiped out, "go home," she said, "I'll take over."

"Are you sure?" David asked.

"Of course," she smiled, "I'll have the calls forwarded to my cell and I'll do a little patrol."

"With a ride along?" David nodded towards Hook.

"Go home," she instructed, "I'll be by in a little bit to see mom and Neal."

David stood and left without question. Emma could tell having an infant at home and trying to keep a town safe were difficult feats on their own, but trying to do both at the same time sounded impossible.

"I wasn't the best assistant," Hook admitted, "after our last call yesterday, I returned the favor and played his game by answering the desk phone."

Emma sighed, "It's like you two just enjoy tormenting each other. My father has nothing against you." After an awkward silence, she added, "anymore."

"He may not dislike me," Hook said, "but he does have one thing against me."

"And what's that?" Emma asked.

"I'm in love with his daughter, of course," he laughed, "no man wants his little princess falling for a man like me. People may say I'm a hero, but I'll likely never live up to their expectations."

Emma blushed, "do their expectations really matter?"

Hook didn't answer, unsure of what to say. It was the first time in a long time that he'd been at a loss for words. Did it really matter? Wasn't Emma the only one who's opinion of him was important?

"Look," she said as she started to set up call forwarding, "it doesn't matter who you are, who you've been or who you will be. People like to talk and no matter what you do, you're not going to please everyone. It's better to just not worry about what people think."

"I never had that problem before," he said, "I never cared what people thought."

She finished the task at hand and looked at him again, "just worry about the people who matter. They're the ones who are going to love and accept you just as you are."

Hook nodded, then sighed, ready for a different topic, "where are we off to first, Sheriff?"

"First," she smiled, "We're going to get you a phone. While we're at it, you can fill me in on what's happened these past couple days so I can try and fix the mess I made. _Before _Regina decides it would just be better to make my life hell."


	6. Chapter 6

Hook did his best to relay everything that had been going on in the town over the past couple days. He explained to Emma how Regina had been on edge and that he was surprised that she had been so civil with her over the phone when she called. Emma frowned when he got to the part about Robin and Marian, who had been pretty quiet since Marian's return.

"I've seen Robin a couple times," he explained, "mostly at the diner with his son, but I haven't seen her. I assume she's been staying at Granny's though, because Robin and his crew haven't left the woods for more comfortable living conditions."

"So what makes you think Marian isn't hiding out in the woods with him?" Emma asked.

Hook hesitated, not wanting to admit that he was deliberately trying to get information, even though he promised Emma he would see if anything changed during her trip to New York. "He went upstairs a few times. After breakfast with his son, he would go upstairs and return without him."

Emma mulled over the information for a few moments before speaking again, "that's a little weird."

"He's likely confused, Emma, "he's thought his wife dead for some time now."

"I know," Emma snapped, "I get it. I messed up."

"Emma-"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I really didn't intend for it to come out that way. I know it's my fault-"

Hook laughed, "I was only going to say that it might not be wise to meddle in the affairs of others. Especially when the situation is already delicate."

"Normally, I'd agree," she said, "but this whole situation exists because I meddled. I have to at least do damage control."

"Then lead the way," Hook grinned, knowing full well that the woman was on a mission and there would be no stopping her. They stepped inside Granny's diner and saw Ruby standing behind the counter on her cellphone. Emma looked around and noted the absence of customers. Looking at her phone, she noted that the lunch crowd would be shuffling in soon.

"Morning," Ruby said as the bell rang, signaling new customers, though she didn't look up from her phone to greet them.

"Ruby," Emma stepped up to the counter and took a seat. "I need your help."

"I already tried my hand at the law enforcement business, remember?" Ruby put down her phone and looked at Emma, then to Hook, "get him to help you."

"This isn't a sheriff thing," Emma said as Hook stepped up and took a seat next to her. "He's already done his job, what I need is some information."

"I could only gather so much intel while sitting under Charming's thumb," Hook explained.

"Trying to be on your best behavior?" Ruby quipped. She then turned back to Emma, "what kind of information are you looking for and why do you think I have it?"

"I just need to know if someone is here," Emma said.

"Marian?" Ruby asked, "Yeah, she's here."

"How did you know who I was-?"

"I was there," Ruby reminded her, "I saw what happened. She's staying upstairs and Robin's been going between here and the woods for the past couple days." She saw Emma was about to ask another question, but cut her off, "no, he hasn't talked to Regina yet. He hasn't said anything to anyone really. But he doesn't seem too happy."

Emma nodded and sighed, "I guess this means we need to go on a hunt in the woods."

"Why would that be?" A voice asked.

The three of them turned around to see Robin coming into the diner. He wasn't with Roland, so Emma could only assume the child was with his mother. "I guess we can call off the search," Hooke joked.

"You were looking for me?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Emma said, "at least, we were about to start looking."

"It seems we've found each other," he smiled, "which is good, because I need to speak to you as well."

"Perfect," Emma got up and walked over to him, "let's go talk." She looked back to Hook, "you'll be okay here for a few minutes?"

"Aye," he replied.

"Better get him some lunch, Ruby," Emma said, recalling the impending rush was almost upon them, "I'll cover it when I get back." Ruby nodded and pulled out a menu as Robin and Emma left the diner.

* * *

"I'm not sure if I should be angry or if I should be thanking you," Robin admitted. He and Emma had walked away from the diner and towards the place where Henry's castle once stood.

Once there, Emma looked at the empty space and felt a twinge of sadness. Looking back at Robin, she felt the guilt take over. "I'm sorry," Emma stated, "I know this whole situation put you in an awkward position. I didn't know who she was-"

"Would it have mattered?" He asked.

"No" she admitted, "it wouldn't have. I couldn't just let an innocent person die. I know it was her destiny and that messing with time like that can really make a mess of things. I know that firsthand now. But, I don't think I'd ever be able to live with myself if I didn't save her."

"You're a good person, Emma," he smiled, "and I should thank you. You brought her back to us. Roland doesn't have to grow up not knowing his mother. What you gave him is a gift that cannot be topped."

"But?" There was a 'but'. There was always a 'but'.

"Like you said," he sighed, "you've put me in an awkward position. I haven't talked to Regina yet, and I certainly haven't told Marian that I've long since moved on. I don't know what to do Emma. I have feelings for Regina, yet I feel obligated to stay with my wife. Don't get me wrong, I love her more than life itself, but I've also had a great deal of time to let her go. I feel she suspects, but I haven't outright told her."

"And you don't want to hurt either one of them." Emma said, knowing exactly what he meant.

"What would you do?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You and I know what it's like," he explained, "to lose someone who has your heart. What would you do if someone found a way to bring your Neal back? You've obviously moved on, but would it change things?"

Emma's breath caught and she could feel a lump forming in her throat. She knew the answer, but it didn't make it an easy one.

"You're hesitating," Robin said, "you still love him."

"I'll always love him," she said quietly, "he was my first love."

"Then why the hesitation?" He asked.

"Because if he came back today, I know that my choice would break his heart." A few tears escaped as Emma thought about it. A part of her heart would always belong to Neal, but Robin was right, she'd had time to move on. She never wanted to lose him to death, but even when he was alive, she had no intention of taking him back as anything more than a friend and father to her son. At the time, she wasn't sure about Hook either, but she knew that Neal was never again going to be a choice.

"My Marian had only been away from me for a couple days at most," he said, "but I've spent quite some time learning to live without her. You'd really choose Hook over Neal? You and Neal share a history, and a son. What if your current relationship doesn't amount to anything?"

"Neal and I had a chance," she said as she recalled being left to take the fall for his crimes. "I've forgiven him for hurting me, but I can't deny Killian his chance based on a history Neal and I shared. It would break his heart, and I hate that, but to go back to him would be a mistake."

Robin nodded, "feelings are complicated things, aren't they? No matter what choice I make, someone is going to get hurt."

"I'm sorry," Emma apologized again, "I wish there was something I could do."

"You've helped more than you know, milady," Robin smiled, "I can figure the rest out on my own."

"You're welcome," Emma said, confused. She wasn't exactly how he got any kind of help from her, but hoped that it all worked out in Regina's favor.

The two parted ways, Robin to take care of his loose ends and Emma to rejoin Hook at Granny's.

* * *

Just as she suspected, Granny's had been taken over by the lunch rush. Emma went back to the counter and sat next to Hook, who had thought to save her a seat.

"All better?" He asked as he turned his attention from his food to her. He noticed she had tear stains on her cheeks, "didn't go well?"

"You were right," she said, "again."

"About what, love?"

"Meddling," she said.

"What happened?"

Emma shook her head, not wanting to go over the details again. "I did what I could." She left it at that and the look on her face told Hook she didn't want to discuss it further.

"Ruby made me a shake," he said, hoping the subject change would cheer her up. "I've never had one before." He held up the glass, which had about half a chocolate shake left in it.

"That's his third one," Ruby informed her.

Emma smiled and looked at his almost empty plate. There were nothing but crumbs and a few untouched French fries. Her stomach grumbled and she realized that she hadn't even touched her breakfast that morning. "Did you try the fries with the shake?" She asked, debating on ordering her own plate.

"What?" He made a face.

Quickly, she took the glass out of his hand, stole a fry and dipped it in the chocolate shake. After eating it, she decided she definitely needed to get her own plate.

"That's bloody disgusting, Swan!" he shouted, "Now you've gone and ruined my shake!"

Ruby was already at the other side of the diner at this time, but she heard the brunette's laughter. It was accompanied by giggles from quite a few other patrons who had heard Hook's outburst. "Try it," she laughed.

"Potatoes and chocolate should _not _be mixed," Hook stated.

"You're drinking a chocolate shake with your lunch," Emma reminded him.

"This is dessert, Emma," he said, "I had some other drink with lunch, what was that? It was a yellowish-green concoction and it was bubbly. You wouldn't catch me dipping my lunch in that either."

"Ruby gave you Mountain Dew?" Emma groaned. A caffeinated Hook was probably just as difficult to deal with as a caffeinated Henry. Then again, the three shakes alone would probably give him a sugar rush from hell, so the Mountain Dew probably wouldn't have much of an added effect.

"I want another shake," Hook demanded.

Emma dipped another fry in the shake and handed it to Hook, "Just try it," she told him, "I promise it won't kill you." She watched as he eyeballed her as he took a bite. "Well?" She asked.

Defeated, Hook stole his shake back and used it to coat the remainder of his French fries.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma smiled as she cuddled with her baby brother, "I missed this little guy," she told her parents. She watched as Neal slept peacefully in her arms and wondered how she ever thought she could leave Storybrooke behind. The trip to New York was short, but also, far too long. "Sorry it took us all day to get here," she apologized, "there was a bit of a rush this afternoon."

"I can tell," Snow looked up from the clothes she had been folding and nodded towards Hook, who had crashed out in the recliner, "what did you do to the poor guy?"

Emma laughed, "He's discovering what happens when you come down off of a sugar high."

"Ouch," David winced, "from the looks of it, he discovered the candy counter at the pharmacy."

"And chocolate shakes at Granny's," Emma said, remembering he'd managed to put away three large shakes in addition to his lunch.

"So," Snow said, "besides all that, how was your day?"

"It was rough," Emma admitted, "not because of the sheriff thing," she smiled at David, hoping he wouldn't apologize, "I talked to Robin today."

"How did that go?" David asked.

"I'm not really sure," Emma said, "he said I helped him, but whether or not that's good news for Regina is yet to be seen."

"She hasn't said anything to you?" Snow asked.

"No," Emma answered, "I haven't seen her since I dropped off Henry. Maybe he hasn't talked to her yet."

"Maybe." Snow agreed, "Try not to worry about it."

"Easier said than done," Emma sighed, "but at least I can keep myself busy with work and unpacking." She looked up at Hook who was still unconscious. "I don't think he's going to be helping with the rest of the furniture tonight."

"I said I'd help you," David stated.

"You helped enough," Emma protested, "besides, it's just the beds and a few more boxes. You helped me bring the couch up last night and I've got my blankets-"

"You should just stay here," Snow suggested, "We have the room."

"I should get him home," Emma nodded towards Hook.

"Let him sleep," David laughed.

"I think this guy needs his sleep too," Emma stood and went over to Snow to hand her the baby, "From what I hear, he's had a busy couple of days."

"Still getting used to his schedule." Snow took her son and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "But we're getting there."

"Getting there by calling the Sheriff's office for help?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"I was trying to get in touch with your father," Snow retorted, "he's not so good about hearing his phone these days. I didn't know he decided to hire a dispatcher."

* * *

It was late when Regina heard the knock at the door. Henry was already in bed, but she was still awake. Sleep seemed to elude her now as she struggled with this new dilemma. Part of her wanted to turn Emma into nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash, but that would hurt Henry and that wasn't an option. The knock sounded again and Regina went to the door to answer it, against her better judgment. Who paid a visit so late at night unless they had something sinister planned. Then again, she figured, if someone wanted to hurt her, they likely wouldn't knock on the front door.

Robin stood in the doorway, looking as if he'd been hoping no one was home. "Regina," he said, "we need to talk."

Regina invited him in, but wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him. Especially when he used the worst words anyone in any sort of relationship could use. "That rarely goes well for the person one wants to talk to."

"I've been avoiding you," he admitted.

"That part was obvious," she snapped, though she wasn't sure why. He wasn't the one who did anything wrong.

"I didn't know what to do," he said, "Surely you understand the position I'm in is not a common one."

"Your true love has been returned to you," she said, "it looks like you get your happy ending after all."

"If it were that simple," Robin frowned, "you know it isn't. I think she realizes it too. My heart has already been spoken for."

It was a turn of events that Regina hadn't expected, especially since as it turned out, she was the reason Marian had died in the first place. Could she really do this? Sure, in the past, the Evil Queen would have no problem breaking up a family. She'd done it countless times. But Regina? She saw the look on Roland's face when he saw his mother and realized that breaking up this particular family would hurt a child she cared about. "Does she know it's me?" She asked.

"No," Robin said quietly, "but she _will _find out. This is a small town. But Regina, despite our differences over the past year, we've come together. I have very real and very strong feelings for you. I've spent a great deal of time living without Marian and moving on. She at least knows that part."

"So," Regina said cautiously, "you've already made your decision?"

Robin sighed, "It's complicated and delicate. I fell like maybe I have, but..." He wrinkled his brow trying to find what he wanted to say.

"You need more time," Regina finished the thought.

"Exactly," he said, "it's not my intention to hurt anyone, but no matter what happens, someone is going to get hurt."

"That's a burden you shouldn't have to bear," Regina stated, "I hope Emma at least apologized to you."

"Don't be angry with her," he said, "she was only doing what she felt was right. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I talked to her earlier this afternoon. She doesn't take this lightly and is doing everything within her power to fix it. I could see how guilty she felt just by looking at her. She didn't set out to hurt anyone."

"Actions have consequences," she reminded him, "it's something that whole family needs to learn."

Robin nodded, "I agree," he said, "but you also need to look at the intent. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes and we all have our demons." When Regina didn't answer, he continued, "it's late and I should go. I just didn't want to avoid you any longer." He leaned in closer to her and kissed her on the cheek, "goodnight, Regina."


	8. Chapter 8

"You don't look so good," Henry said as he slid into the booth where Hook was sitting. "Did mom yell at you? Where is she anyway?"

"Aren't you supposed to be with Regina?" Hook asked as he picked at his breakfast. Emma had warned him several times yesterday to take it easy on the sugar, but he didn't listen. He couldn't help it though. In all the realms he'd seen, none had anything as good as this one. Every place had their own version of sweets, but this place seemed to have perfected them.

"She's ordering food for us." Henry said, "why are avoiding my questions? Are you hung-over? I'm twelve, I know what that is, so you can tell me if you're hung-over."

Hook raised an eyebrow, "I'm not hung-over and I'm not avoiding your questions. Your mother is off doing her sheriff thing. Apparently there was a call early this morning. As for me, I'm feeling the after effects of what your mother calls a 'sugar rush'."

Henry laughed, "They don't have sugar in the enchanted forest?"

"Not like they have here," he leaned forward, "here, they have this strange bubbly green drink called 'Mountain Dew' and these odd little chocolate caramel things called 'Milk Duds'. I didn't realize you weren't supposed to eat them all at once." He leaned back again.

"You must have a stomach ache from hell," Henry grinned.

"Excuse me?" Regina was standing by the booth now. She shot a look at Hook, "I certainly hope this is not the kind of example you're setting for my son." She looked at Henry again, "you know better."

"I've set no such example," Hook tried to defend himself, "besides, the lad just said hell. There's far more colorful language out there."

"It's not Hook's fault," Henry shrugged, "I learned long ago that you can learn the best words by leaving your Legos out on the floor."

"I don't get it," Hook said, "what's a Lego?"

Regina just laughed and held up her to-go bag, "time to go, Henry."

Henry nodded and looked at Hook's plate, which was still pretty full, "are you gonna eat that bacon?"

"Probably not," Hook answered, realizing that diner food was probably not going to make him feel any better. "I take it you'd like it?" When Henry nodded Hook just laughed and pushed the plate over to him.

"Thanks!" Henry grabbed the bacon and then slid back out of the booth to join Regina. "See ya!"

Hook offered a wave and then turned his attention back to his food. The only thing that was even making a little difference was the glass of what Ruby called 'Ginger Ale'.

"I need to talk to you," someone was once again sliding into the booth. Hook looked up and saw Marian sitting across from him. When he didn't answer, she frowned, "you brought me here, against my will I should add, and now everything is going to hell in a hand basket."

"I'm not sure I follow," Hook said, "but we had no choice-"

"Don't give me that crap," Marian snapped, "do you know what my life has been like since you brought me here?"

"Your life wouldn't have been much better had we left you," Hook reminded her, "You were scheduled to be executed."

"Does he know?" Marian asked, "That woman he's been seeing, does he know she was the one responsible for my death in the first place?"

"What are you talking about?" Hook asked. He wasn't sure how much she knew about Robin and Regina and the last thing he wanted to do was make the situation worse.

"We talked last night," Marian explained, "he told me how to him, I've been dead for years and how he's moved on. He told me about the woman he'd started seeing in my absence..."

"And you didn't think to tell him that bit of information?" Hook asked.

"Well," Marian sighed, "it's hard to explain to someone that the woman they may be in love with is the same woman who had their first love executed. Especially when the execution never happened. There are only three people in this town who know about that."

"The execution that never was," Hook nodded.

"So what do I do?" She asked, "I want my husband back."

Hook didn't answer at first, knowing full well situations like this could get ugly. Marian was already angry about being taken to the future against her will, and now she knew about her husband seeing Regina. "I suppose that depends," he finally said.

"On what?"

"What lines you're willing to cross and what you're willing to lose in the process," he said, "and believe me, you _will _lose something. Especially if this all escalates."

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience," Marian grinned, "I've heard the stories. Tell me, how does a man with no magical abilities take on the Dark One?"

"Who told you that?" He asked, then shook his head, "it doesn't matter. If you're planning on declaring war on Regina, allow me to be the first to warn you. It will not end well. The Dark One was the one who taught her everything she knows. Do you really think going head to head with her will end well for you?"

Marian seemed to think it over, then spoke again, "maybe you're right. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Regina really isn't to blame for this mess. Your friend is the idiot who brought me here."

"She saved your life!" Hook shouted as he sat up and pounded his fist on the table. Remembering he shouldn't cause a scene, he lowered his voice again, "besides, Regina is teaching her everything she knows. I know Emma wouldn't set out to hurt anyone, but if you come after her, you'll leave her with no choice."

"Then maybe," Marian narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, "I should set my sights on someone she cares about."

"I know you're not threatening me," he laughed.

"Don't underestimate me," she said, "I've seen my fair share of combat. You have no magical ability, so it levels the playing field. If I can't get my Robin back, it wouldn't hurt to show your _friend _how that feels."

"Does your Robin know how vindictive you can be?" He asked.

"I'm desperate," she stated, "I didn't come all the way back here just to lose him again. Here's _your _warning. Get her to fix this or spend the rest of your life watching your back."

Hook laughed again, "Here's another warning for you. I may be a changed man, but if you plan on backing me in a corner, you'll leave me no choice."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She rolled her eyes.

"It means," He said, "if you come after me, or Emma or anyone she cares about, I _will _fight back and the only thing you'll be worried about is removing my hook from your neck. So I'd rethink your plan of revenge if I were you."

"We'll see," Marian huffed as she stood and stormed off to the exit.


	9. Chapter 9

*****A/N: I usually don't like adding these things, but seriously, a thank you for reading and feedback. I figured to throw in a little fluff this chapter, seeing as last chapter had Marian pretty much going off the deep end. Besides, our savior needs to get more comfortable with her pirate. :P*****

"I don't think you're taking this seriously," Hook frowned as Emma kept her attention on the video game she was playing. They were both sitting on the couch in her apartment and he was getting increasingly annoyed at being ignored. "Did you hear the part where she threatened you? How about where she threatened me? Have you heard anything I said?"

"I heard you," Emma said as she paused her game and turned to look at him, "what makes you think she's actually making threats and not just blowing off steam?"

"She seemed to be pretty intent on hurting you," He said.

"I never took you for a worrier," she grinned, "tell me why this woman, who likely has no mean bone in her body, has you all bent out of shape?" She went back to playing her game, "she isn't going to do anything until Robin either goes back to her or leaves her, so let's just take a break, okay?"

"By break, you mean us sitting here with me watching you..." he frowned, "do whatever it is you're doing?" Hook looked at the television, "Is this some sort of television program you control?"

Emma laughed, "It's a video game. I was almost done with this level when you got here. Let me hit the next checkpoint and we'll go do something if you want."

"Fair enough," he nodded, "just no more chocolate shakes."

"How's your stomach anyway?" she asked, "Henry texted me earlier and said you looked like death."

"I'm alive." he grumbled, remembering how it took almost half a day to get it to calm down. He watched the game for a few more minutes before grumbling again, "Why can't you just save there?"

"That's not how it works," she said, "the checkpoint is just over that...Dammit!" The screen turned red and a big "GAME OVER" displayed over a "TRY AGAIN" button. "Every time," she muttered.

"What just happened?" Hook raised an eyebrow.

"My health bar ran down because I got shot too much," She said as she turned off the game, "I've been stuck on this level for weeks." She tossed the game controller to the side in defeat, "we should just go out. I don't want to start over again."

"You're frustrated," he started laughing, "over something that seems pretty ridiculous. It's just pictures on your television." When he was sure she wouldn't get violent over her loss, he slid closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Why don't you stop ignoring me now?"

Emma turned to him again, "I'm not ignoring you and I'm not frustrated. Video games are a great way to unwind."

"Unwind," he nodded, "Because right now, you seem completely wound up and about ready to wage war on your television."

"I had a rough day," she said quietly, painfully aware of how close he was. There was a part of her that still wasn't sure about him. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was more that she didn't trust herself. She wanted to take things slow, and he promised they could, but being near him made it almost impossible to remember to put on the brakes.

"Did you?" He asked. Emma was pretty sure he could tell her heart was racing at this point. Damn him.

"Yeah," She said slowly. As her mind began racing, she silently cursed herself for telling him to meet her at home. How could she be so stupid? It wasn't that she was afraid of _him_ getting the wrong idea, because he _always_ had the wrong idea. It was more that she knew that at this moment in time she wouldn't _object_ to any wrong ideas. "We should go now." She blurted out.

"In a minute," Hook grinned as he leaned in and kissed her.

Just as she figured she would, Emma melted into him. Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. She felt his other arm wrap around her waist as he turned towards her more. He held her tighter, but was surprisingly gentle. It wasn't enough, she decided as she let go of his hair, her hands slipped down to the collar of his coat and she pulled him even closer, parting her lips and deepening the kiss. A shiver ran down her spine as he ran the curve of his hook up her back.

Emma couldn't stand it anymore. She knew this would happen, but she didn't care at the moment. She started to try to push his coat off and felt him let go of her and pull away. "Emma," he said, "not that I'm complaining, but have you gone mad? I thought you wanted to take things slow?"

"And you think kissing me like that is going to end with, 'well, that was nice, let's got out now'?" She asked, "Face it Killian, we both know that we're not leaving this apartment tonight."

* * *

Hook wasn't sure what had changed between last night and this morning, but he awoke to a stream of curse words, some he wasn't sure _he'd_ even heard before. He opened his eyes and saw Emma rushing around the room, pulling her jeans on, then socks, then shoes. Sitting up, he laughed, "The lad was right, your filthy mouth _can_ put a sailor to shame."

Emma stopped for a moment to look at him, "Henry said that?"

"Not in so many words, but he implied," Hook continued to laugh, "Now what seems to be the problem, love?"

"I was supposed to meet Regina and Henry at the school _ten minutes ago._ Dammit Hook, why didn't you have me set the alarm?"

"We're back to that now?" He feigned hurt, "I was so enjoying you calling me Killian. Plus, how was I supposed to have the forethought to set the alarm? I was preoccupied, if you recall. Even if I did manage a moment, I wouldn't know how to work that digital contraption anyway."

Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled, "I'll be back," she said as she walked over and planted a kiss to his temple.

"I'm sure you'll come up with a good tale to tell," he quipped.

Emma shook her head and ran out of the room. Hook heard the apartment door slam shut and decided he at least had a little more time to sleep.

The trip to the school didn't take long at all, Storybrooke was still the small town she remembered. As soon as she parked the car, she did a quick check to make sure she didn't look as if she'd just crawled out of bed. She figured she would just tell the half-truth, that she overslept. No one needed to know why.

Regina had watched the yellow bug pull up and immediately stormed over to it. A small smile of satisfaction crossed her lips when she noticed she had surprised Emma at the window. When Emma exited the car, Regina immediately started in, "You're late."

"Thanks Captain Obvious," the words were in her head and out of her mouth before she could stop them. Silently, Emma reminded herself that she needed a filter, something that eluded her when she was exhausted.

"Rough night?" Regina was right on par with the sarcasm.

"Alarm didn't go off," Emma wasn't willing to play this game today, "It happens, Regina."

"Yes," she nodded, "I suppose it does. Still, you might want to put your hair back down. You don't want anyone in that office getting the wrong idea about you."

"What are you talking about?" Emma growled. There was no way she was taking that tangled mess of a ponytail down.

"I'm doing you a favor, Miss Swan," Regina still held a smug grin on her face, "I suggest you take my advice, unless you want the whole world to know that your boyfriend bites."

"Fuck," Emma whispered. _Filter!_ She reminded herself as she pulled her hair down and attempted to make it look halfway decent.

"And here I thought the pirate was the bad example," Regina turned and walked towards the school, "I see I should have listened when Henry told me he learned all he knows from you."

Emma rolled her eyes and followed Regina into the main office, mentally noting that the woman had been short with her, but not full on hostile. _Something_ had to have gone in her favor and to be honest, Emma would rather incur Marian's wrath than Regina's at the moment.

* * *

Getting Henry settled into school wasn't difficult at all, but it was no longer the elementary school where his grandmother worked. She suspected he'd miss that part, even though the middle school was only across the street.

"Coffee, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. Emma couldn't tell if she was being sincere or not. The other woman was still smiling, but it seemed to be less about being nice and more about being sarcastic.

"Do we go out for coffee?" Emma asked.

"We aren't enemies," Regina laughed.

"We aren't friends either," Emma reminded her.

"I like to think of us more as unwilling allies," Regina stated, "besides, I'm in a forgiving mood this morning. Plus, we share a son, who seems intent on spending time with both of us, so we should probably work something out. Your pirate won't mind if you keep him waiting, will he?"

"What makes you think he stayed?" Emma raised her eyebrow.

"Coffee?" Regina asked again.

Emma cringed, realizing she just told Regina everything without saying anything at all. "Yes," she gave up. Better to just get this impromptu coffee date over and then she could figure out what to do with Hook later. She figured no matter when she returned, he'd still be sleeping, in her bed of all places.

The two women drove their own cars to Granny's, but walked in together. Everyone in the diner stopped and looked, wondering if now would be a good time to clear out. "Don't stop on my account," Regina remarked as she slid into a booth. Emma sat across from her. In just moments, Ruby had a coffee for Regina and a hot chocolate for Emma.

"One thing's for certain," Emma laughed.

"What's that?" Regina asked.

"Ruby never messes up my order," Emma answered, "Starbucks on the other hand...let's just say the baristas can't remember you from yesterday and rarely ever pay attention to what you're ordering anyway."

"And you were ready to run right back to it," Regina mocked.

"It was a good life," Emma said, "I never really did get the chance to thank you for those ten years. God knows, I probably didn't deserve it."

"You did," Regina said, catching Emma by surprise, "and you're welcome. However, now we have the dilemma of Henry wanting us to share him. I mean, you told me before that like it or not, you're a part of his life. Now, he has two memories of two very different lives, with both of us."

"I'm sure between the three of us, we can work something out," Emma said, "Henry seems to know exactly what he wants." When Regina nodded, she continued, "Not to push my luck, but what happened that put you in such a forgiving mood?"

"I'm not so forthcoming with information about my private life," Regina grinned, "but whatever you said to Robin, seems to have worked in my favor."


	10. Chapter 10

Emma returned to her apartment, ready to just get in the shower and get down to the station. She was running late enough already and didn't need any more problems for the day. Unfortunately, upon walking into her apartment, she couldn't help but see that Hook had not only gotten out of bed, he'd invited David over for some strange reason. Both of them were hovered over the stove, which didn't make Emma feel any better about the situation.

"What the hell?" Emma asked.

Hook and David turned around, both looking guilty of something and to be perfectly honest, Emma didn't want to know what. "You left your phone, love," Hook finally said, "Your father called just as I was attempting to not burn down your kitchen."

"Why do I feel like I should have left you with a list of rules before I went out?" Emma couldn't help but find the humor in all this, "Why would you answer my phone?"

"He called three times," Hook stated, "I figured it was important."

"I was worried when you didn't answer," David admitted, "because last time you didn't answer-"

"I get it," Emma shook her head. She really didn't want to think about what they may or may not have talked about while she was gone and all she could do was hope that it wasn't her. Though David was pretty calm and collected even though he came to her apartment only to find Hook as the sole occupant. "I'm going to get ready for work. I'm late enough as it is."

"I can go in for you," David offered, "I mean...I owe you...sort of, for taking off when you were still doing your vacation...thing."

"You're a terrible liar," Emma laughed, "What do you want?"

"Big sister babysitting service?" David asked, "Just for a couple hours. Your mom just needs to get out for a little bit. It's just dinner, Neal's way too young for her to want to part with him for any longer than that."

"I might have Henry," Emma stammered, not sure she was ready to take on Neal alone. It had been a long time since she had an infant in her care, and recalled that those memories were all fabrications. "And Hook. I have Hook and apparently, since he admitted to almost burning down my kitchen, I can't keep him out of my sight."

"Okay," David nodded, "Henry's a big boy, I'm sure he'll be fine and I'm sure Hook can stay out of trouble for a night. Just a couple hours, I promise. Please don't make me beg Emma, your mom needs it."

"He's right," Hook added, "you've been away and you've yet to see your mother when she's sleep deprived. Remember that day Henry convinced me to use your brother as an alarm clock?"

"You what?" David shouted.

Hook rolled his eyes, "the point is, I accidently woke the lad up." He looked over at David, "You really shouldn't leave that bassinet in the middle of the room where anyone can trip over it. I swear the woman was plotting my death. As I said, your mother is _not_ her usual self and could likely benefit from a couple hours away. Might I suggest a nap instead of dinner?"

"Wait," Emma stopped them before things got ugly and judging by the look David had shot Hook, she was sure it could go that way, "While I was gone, did you just find ways to torment my parents?"

"It would seem so," David stated.

"Nothing intentional," Hook protested, "they're just wound so tight. But there aren't many people in this town willing to be my friend at the moment, so I made do with what I had."

Emma laughed and shook her head, "I'll watch Neal," she said, "But you owe me two shifts."

"I think I only owe you one," David said.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked, "I covered for you while I was taking a vacation and _now_ I'm babysitting for you. That's two. Believe me, you are in no position to be bargaining here."

"I'm not?" David grinned. He walked over and kissed her on the forehead, "Let's see, I came over here to keep your pirate from burning the place down when he probably shouldn't have been here in the first place. I think I only owe you one."

"I'm not a teenager," Emma stated, "you can't ground me for having a boy in my room. Two shifts."

"How about this?" David was starting to laugh now, "I give you two shifts, but you give me babysitting tonight and an I.O.U. for babysitting sometime in the future. Plus, I forget having to rescue your boyfriend from burning the place down. You really should teach him how to light a stove in the modern world."

Emma mulled it over for a few seconds, realizing that David probably _would_ make several jokes at her expense about her pyromaniac pirate. "Deal," she sighed, realizing that even though she had another babysitting job in the future, it was worth the second shift.

"See you at six?" David asked.

"Can I bring a friend?" Emma teased, knowing full well she never had the chance to give her parents a run for their money as a teenager.

David looked at Hook and then back at Emma, "Okay, but tell Ruby no boys. Don't forget to be there at six." He smiled and showed himself out.

"I thought I was your friend," Hook stated.

"He was messing with you," Emma said with a smile, "you're coming with me for the sheer fact that you got me into this mess."

"How?"

"By almost burning down the house," She reminded him, "and answering my phone. Though, he would have rushed over here eventually if it never got answered." With a yawn, she headed back to her room.

"Where are you going?" He asked, "You've got the day off!"

"Exactly," She called back, "so I'm going back to sleep!"

* * *

It was a little after noon when she woke and Emma was relieved that she didn't have to be anywhere for another couple hours. At the moment though, she just wanted to stay here. She didn't want to think about the late lunch she'd be taking with Regina and Henry later, nor did she care to think about how they would work out sharing the one person they both loved more than anything. She didn't want to think about babysitting or sheriff duties or Marian's threats or unpacking. She just wanted to relax for one moment in her life.

"Awake yet?" a voice asked, and Emma realized that Hook must have joined her for a nap at some point.

"Nope," she answered. She heard him laugh and then felt him roll over on his side and throw his arm around her. With a smile, she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. This, she could get used to and that scared the hell out of her.

"Tell me what happened," he said, lazily, "at the school. Why did it take you so long to come back?"

"I stopped by Granny's for some coffee with Regina," She replied, "it seems she doesn't want to kill me anymore, but I'm going to see her again this afternoon when I go to pick him up. We need to work something out. I'm sure Henry has an idea on how to best split his time between us."

"Hmm..." was all he said.

"This has got to be the strangest family in the world," Emma let out a quiet laugh.

"How so?" Hook asked.

"Well," Emma began, "Everyone in his family is a fairy tale character. Oh! Let's not forget that he has two separate set of memories of his first ten years of life. _That_ can't be confusing. Did I just manage to screw my kid up without even trying? Up until a year ago, I thought the only _normal_ person he had in his life was his father, then I found out he was the son of The Dark One." She stopped for a moment, knowing that opening that particular wound would be difficult for both of them.

"He's lost that man far too many times in his young life," Hook stated, "It isn't fair, but he seems to be handling it well." _Better than the rest of us,_ he added silently. Despite their competition over Emma, Hook couldn't help but feel heartbreak over the loss of Baelfire. Not only did Emma take it rather hard, he felt as if he'd lost a son. Even though their time together in Neverland was short, he always saw the boy as a son. It killed him to see Henry now, who was so much like Baelfire as a young boy.

"I don't get it," Emma frowned, thinking about the past, "he knew who I was. Why did he take the coward's way out?"

"What?" Hook propped himself up, "Emma, what are you going on about?"

"When he left me," Emma said, "He knew who I was and instead of trying to bring me here, he abandoned me." She didn't want to go down this road again as she had spent far too long angry at Neal.

"I wasn't aware he knew," Hook admitted.

"It's a long story," Emma sighed, "but Pinocchio told him. I didn't find out he was Mr. Gold's son until last year though. Why would he do that?"

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "there's no use getting angry now, love. I'm certain Bae did the best he thought he could do with the information he had at the time. Perhaps Pinocchio had something over his head that drove him off. You'll never know."

"I guess you're right," she said. It was true that Pinocchio had intervened, but without being there, she didn't know exactly what went on between the two of them that night. There was always that part of her that wondered about what would have happened had he stayed. Would they have been caught? Gone to jail? Would she have kept Henry?

"The wheels are still turning, Swan," he said, "I can see it in your eyes."

"Then stop looking at my eyes," She said with a hint of sarcasm.

With a laugh, he fell back to the bed, but didn't drop the subject, "Things work the way they're supposed to. At any given time, you're exactly where you're supposed to be."

"Okay," She said softly, liking the idea. Though, there was one flaw in his thought. Marian was exactly where she _shouldn't_ be and it was all Emma's fault. Things had worked out with Regina, but that meant Marian would likely find out soon and would be out for blood.

"Don't think about Marian," Hook mumbled, reading her mind.

Emma just sighed, how the hell could he read her when he could only see the back of her head? "I need to get up," she finally said, though she was reluctant to do so. "I have to get showered and dressed so I can go get Henry."

"I'm not stopping you," he teased.


	11. Chapter 11

*****A/N: Just a little more playfulness before I dive into the adventure. Thanks again for reading!*****

Lunch with Regina and Henry wasn't as painful as Emma had thought it would be. Regina was still in an unusually forgiving, and good, mood. Instead of demanding more time with Henry, she agreed with Emma on letting the boy decide how he wanted to split his time. It came as no surprise that he wanted a fairly even split, asking to just alternate weeks between the two homes. Both women found it fair, but Emma's heart broke when he asked to go to Regina's first. Hook had tried to remind her that he hadn't seen Regina in a long time and probably just really wanted to catch up, but it still killed her.

Still, she had a babysitting job she needed to get through and after lunch, all she wanted to do was some more relaxing. Plopping down on the couch next to Hook, she just watched as he flipped through what he liked to call, "The Netflix".

"That one," She said when the scroll stopped on "Ghostbusters". "That's a good one," she stated.

"As you wish," he quipped, hoping this wasn't something David referred to as a "chick flick". Though, the name did sound promising. He set the remote down on the other side of Emma and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It surprised him that she didn't hesitate or pull away. Instead, she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. Then again, she did the same thing earlier in the afternoon while they were lying in bed. Despite her hectic morning, something had changed, making her more at ease with him.

Emma wasn't paying much attention to the movie, instead, she was attempting to enjoy the moment. She wasn't exactly sure how dating worked in the Enchanted Forest, but despite the fact that she was with Captain Hook, this was almost normal. She found it amusing that all she had to do to stop being skittish around him was to sleep with him. Of course, jumping into bed with him opened up an entirely new can of worms that Emma wasn't sure she was ready to deal with, but it was really too late to worry about that now.

"Emma," Hook finally spoke once the movie was finished, "What the bloody hell was that?"

"A movie," she answered.

"I know that," he sighed, "but they couldn't make it a little more believable?"

Emma looked up at him and laughed, "You come from a world with fairies, boys who don't grow up, ogres, princes, princesses and god only knows what else, and you draw the line at a giant marshmallow man?"

"Aye."

"We have some time," Emma sat up and grabbed the remote, "let me introduce you to 'The Walking Dead'."

"That sounds ominous," he said cautiously, "maybe we should just turn the television off."

"If you're expecting a repeat of last night," Emma said, "it's not going to happen. At least not right this second, or later tonight either. You're still in trouble for helping me get stuck babysitting."

"I suppose I deserve that," He nodded and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "But that wasn't what I was suggesting."

"What _were_ you suggesting then?" She asked.

"Just that we turn the television off," He said innocently, "Maybe grab a bite to eat before we have to be at your parents'."

"Right." Emma shut the television off and stood up, "Of course that's exactly what you meant."

Hook stood next to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a hug, "It is exactly what I meant."

Emma wrapped her arms around him and let him hold her for a moment, listening to his heartbeat. "Killian?"

"Yes?"

"Stay with me?" She asked, "I mean, not like in a move in sort of way." She wasn't quite ready for Henry to be running around while they shared a room, but she couldn't deny how good it felt to fall asleep in his arms.

"What do you mean, love?" he asked.

"I mean, when Henry's not here," she answered, "can you stay with me then?"

She felt him kiss the top of her head and hug her tighter, "Of course."

* * *

Marian was fairly sure she was on her own in this fight, but she couldn't let that hold her back. Ruby watched as Marian picked at her food. When the diner door opened, the scorned woman lifted her gaze, shooting daggers at the laughing couple that had just walked in.

"It's bloody freezing out there!" Killian stated. The two of them were bundled up, but their noses were bright red from the cold.

"I don't think I can feel my fingers anymore," Emma giggled as she pulled her mittens off. Neither of them noticed Marian staring them down as they took a seat in a booth across the restaurant.

Quickly, Ruby sauntered up to the booth, hoping to give them fair warning that Marian was on the warpath. "Hi," she said, giving them a quick once over, "Is it really that cold?"

Not only were their noses red, their cheeks were rosy and Hooks hair was an absolute mess. Emma's head was protected by a beanie, but the hair that hung over her shoulders looked plenty windblown. "Huge temperature drop," Emma said, "not to mention the wind-chill factor."

"Well," Ruby said quietly, "there's about to be a temperature drop in here too. Cold shoulders, dagger glares and all that jazz."

Hook followed Ruby's eyes and glanced over Emma's shoulder, "I told you she was serious," he said.

"Maybe we'll take our food to go," Emma said, "I'd rather not start anything in here."

"You got it," Ruby winked, "usual?" When Emma nodded, Ruby was off to get the order ready.

"If looks could kill, Emma..." He raised an eyebrow, "let's just be glad they can't..."

Emma rolled her eyes, "If she decides to come over here and talk to me like a human being, I'll gladly chat. But, if she's going to play games like that, I'm not going to give in. Let's talk about something else. Like, your ears."

"What about them?" He asked.

"Can you even feel them?" She laughed, "They're bright red!"

Hook shrugged, "I can hear, so I suppose I'm alright."

The cold was unexpected, but had put them in an extremely good mood. Emma figured it was probably the fact that they decided to walk and were about halfway to Granny's before the cold really hit them. "Thanks for not letting me get blown away," she joked.

"You laugh," he grinned, "But I've seen drunks keep better balance than you."

Ruby returned with a bag and two to-go cups of hot chocolate. She looked up at the window and noticed it had become fairly frosted in a short span of time. "It really does look bad out there, you two shouldn't be walking around outside."

"We'll be fine," Emma smiled at her friend, "we made it here in one piece. My parents don't live very far."

"Do you need food for them?" Ruby asked.

"No," Emma shook her head, "I got roped into babysitting and they're going out to eat."

"Sounds fun," Ruby wrinkled her nose, "I'm still thanking my lucky stars Ashley and her guy were able to work out a schedule that didn't involve me babysitting." She thought for a moment, thinking that sounded bad, and added, "Not that I don't love Alexandra, I'm just really sick of diapers."

"Not looking forward to that," Emma nodded, "But how many diapers can a kid go through in a couple hours?"

"I'll be babysitting the Netflix," Hook stated proudly.

"Such a man," Ruby playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, "Didn't take you long to figure out how to use a remote, did it?"

"What does she mean by that?" Hook asked Emma.

"Don't worry about it," Emma laughed.

Marian continued to watch the trio. Even though they looked as if they were having a good time, they were speaking too low for her to hear what they were talking about. "Excuse me?" She practically shouted in Ruby's direction, "Can I get a refill over here?"

Ruby looked over and nodded, then back to Emma and Hook. "Be careful out there," she said again before leaving the table.

* * *

"You need a heavier coat," Emma told Snow once they were inside, "It's unusually cold out there."

Snow thanked her for the information and went back to her room to grab her heavier jacket and a beanie. David frowned as he messed with the thermostat.

"Having a problem there, mate?" Hook asked.

"After what you did to that poor stove, I'd rather not use your help," David answered. "It seems this freak weather is making it difficult to keep the indoors warm as well." He turned to Emma, "But it's okay, you know where we keep the extra blankets and the baby is bundled up and sleeping, so you should be fine."

"So I can order pizza and throw a wild party?" Emma joked.

"Excuse me?" Snow asked as she came out of the room, "did I miss something?"

"Just Emma reminding me what a hellion she must have been as a teenager," David said, "No pizza, no liquor, no parties and definitely no boys."

"Awe dad," She pouted, "can't Killian stay? You never let me do anything!"

"What are they doing?" Hook whispered to Snow.

"Bonding," Snow rolled her eyes, "it's their new thing. I think it started during a phone call while she was gone. They think it's funny or something."

"Or something is right," Hook chuckled.

"Fine." David said as he narrowed his eyes, "But he sits on one couch, you sit on the other and if I find out he even looked at you, I'm getting the shotgun."

"I'm sorry," Snow apologized, "Unfortunately, Emma has inherited her father's sense of humor. Can we go now David?"

"Sounds good to me," He smiled and gave his daughter a hug, "You've got our numbers if you need us." Snow gave Emma a hug as well and within seconds, the Charmings' were out the door.

"I'd ask you to explain," Hook raised an eyebrow, "but I'm hoping he wasn't entirely serious."

"You can sit next to me," Emma laughed, "But I'd watch how you look at me. I think he was serious about the shotgun."


	12. Chapter 12

"We were only gone two hours," David said as he opened the door to the loft. Hook and Emma were lying on the couch, completely passed out. Dead to the world, they didn't even seem to hear the door open. "I told him to sit on the other couch too," He added.

"Relax," Snow laughed, "it looks like they're just exhausted. I mean, it's only a little after eight." She leaned over the bassinet to check on Neal who was also passed out, looking bundled up and completely content.

"Should we wake them up?" David asked, "So they can go home? Preferably, different homes."

Snow elbowed him in the ribs, "leave them alone. They walked here and it's too cold now for them to make that trek."

"There's a joke in there somewhere about walking to school, barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways..." David grinned.

"Do you think they're warm enough?" Snow looked at them and noted they didn't have any blankets and the temperature was rapidly dropping.

"She's not a baby," David stated, "If they were cold, they would have thought to grab a blanket."

"She's not a teenager either," Snow reminded him, "but you both seem to ignore that."

"It's funny," David protested, "come on, you've got to admit, being the same age as my grown child is a little awkward, and we missed out on a lot. So if she wants to play along, I'm not going to complain." Snow just sighed and disappeared upstairs, returning with a flannel blanket. David watch as she threw it over their sleeping babysitters before he spoke again, "you should really make him sleep on the other couch."

Snow shot him a look as she went over to the bassinet and carefully started moving it out of the living room, "In a minute, you're going to be sleeping on the other couch."

* * *

Emma woke up the next morning wondering when her parents made it home. Neal had been particularly fussy, waking up shortly after her parents had left. She wasn't sure if he was just ticked that his mom wasn't the one comforting him or if he was just trying to put his big sister to the test. She looked at Hook, who was still passed out beside her and smiled. She felt bad for the guy, having to give up his Netflix to help her get her brother to sleep. When the baby was finally appeased, it was half past seven. She didn't remember anything after that and figured she must have passed out shortly after.

Hook opened one eye, "Please tell me he didn't wake up," he complained, "When are your parents getting home?"

"It's morning," Emma said, "Go back to sleep." She laughed when he didn't hesitate to close his eye again and drift off. Knowing that it was probably still early, Emma tried her best to be quiet as she left the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Just as it was the night before, the air was frigid. Emma slipped her socks and boots back on, hoping to warm her feet up a little. "What the hell?" She whispered to no one in particular.

Emma groaned when someone started pounding on the door. Suddenly, everyone in the house was up, including Neal who had been startled into a crying fit. As she went to answer the door, Hook was up and off the couch and blocking her path within seconds, "Do you really think answering that door is a good idea?" When Emma just gave him a confused look, he sighed, "No one just pounds on a door like that, Emma."

"Yeah," Emma said, "Which means, something is probably wrong." The pounding sounded again and Emma moved to answer it, but Hook blocked her again. "Will you let me answer the door?"

"Do you have a weapon?" He asked.

"No," she rolled her eyes.

"Then I'll answer it." he stated, "no use taking an unnecessary risk." He opened the door and found Ruby outside, seeming very panicked.

"I think we'll be fine," Emma grinned at Hook, pushing him out of the way and ushering Ruby in.

"She's gone," Ruby said, "and I think it's because she found an ally."

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked. She sat Ruby down on the couch and began making some hot chocolate. The one thing she noticed about the panicked woman was that her clothes felt like ice. "Let's warm you up and then we can figure out what's going on. Killian, get that blanket for her."

David came into the room and sat next to Ruby, "What's wrong?" He asked as he helped try to warm her up.

Emma brought over the cocoa and then went over to the thermostat, hoping to get a little bit of heat into the place.

"Marian," Ruby said, "last night, after you left, she took off. I didn't think anything of it, but she never came back. Then, the weather started getting worse."

"It is unusually cold," Snow said as she walked in with an almost calm baby.

"It's not just unusually cold anymore," Ruby said, "it's like the start of the next ice age over here."

"Wait," Hook interrupted, "You mean like that movie with the funny animals? That can actually happen?"

"Emma," David laughed, "Can you please get him up to speed?"

"If we get an ice age here," Emma explained, "there will be no talking animals. Just a lot of dead people."

"Like when giant marshmallow men completely destroy Manhattan?" Hook raised an eyebrow, "You didn't think I was paying attention, did you?"

"What the hell have you two been watching?" Ruby's panic subsided for a second as she laughed at the ridiculous conversation Emma and Hook were having.

"It doesn't matter," Emma smiled at Hook and then turned her attention to Ruby, "What makes you think we're going into the next ice age?"

"Can't you feel it in here?" Ruby asked, "Everything is freezing over. Marian is nowhere to be found and-"

Ruby was interrupted by another pounding on the door. Emma went over to answer it, certain it was another panicked citizen and was surprised to see Regina and Henry standing outside. Both were bundled from head to toe and still shivering. Emma brought them in and started to warm up some more cocoa.

"Hook!" Henry shouted as he ran towards the pirate, "It's snowing outside! I mean, like _really_ snowing! Do you wanna build a snowman?"

"A what?" Hook asked, confused. Someone laughed, but he wasn't sure who.

"We're staying inside, Henry," Regina scolded, "This isn't a normal storm."

"You had nothing to do with it?" David asked Regina.

"Of course not!" She spat.

"Okay!" Emma shouted, "Let's just stop with the bickering right now. Regina's been with Henry and has no motive anyway. There's a very short list of people who can use magic in this town, and I know _I_ didn't do this, so we need to go see Gold."

"Do you think Marian got his help?" Ruby asked.

"Marian?" Regina asked, "What the hell does she have to do with any of this?"

"She disappeared last night," Emma said.

"Right before everything got worse," Ruby added.


	13. Chapter 13

"We have a problem," Mr. Gold stated as soon as David opened the door for him.

"Speak of the devil," Hook said, "we were just talking about you." Emma gave him a quick jab to the side. A war of sarcasm was _not_ what this group needed right now.

Mr. Gold entered the apartment, ignoring Hook's remark. "It seems that someone has managed to release a very powerful sorceress that I seem to recall locking away in my vault."

"And how did that happen, I wonder?" Regina turned to look at Emma.

"How is this my fault?" Emma asked, "I didn't touch anything in that vault." Her stomach knotted up, but _Hook_ did.

"When were you in my vault?" Mr. Gold asked, "better yet, how did you manage to get in there in the first place?"

"You stuck us there," Hook stated.

"So, it was _you_," Regina focused her attention on Hook.

"He didn't touch anything either," Emma lied. Hook shot her a glance, but the look she gave him in return told him to keep quiet.

"Let's not start placing blame," David interrupted, "any number of things could have happened. Right now, we just need to figure out how to stop it."

"That is precisely what I meant by 'we have a problem'. I locked her away for a reason." Gold said.

"What makes you think this sorceress is behind the problem?" Hook asked.

"There aren't many who can turn a town into a winter wasteland," Gold remarked.

"Okay," Emma sighed, knowing full well it probably _was_ Hook who managed to make this particular mess, "let's hear what Gold has to say and go from there. No use going into this half-cocked." _S__o much for taking a break, _she added silently.

"Thank you," Gold continued, "as I said, this individual has already shown us that she is not too thrilled about being locked away for so long."

"People tend to dislike being imprisoned, mate," Hook said, obviously still bitter about being thrown in a vault.

"Speaking from experience?" Regina quipped.

"Enough," David growled, "Can we get on with this?"

"As I was saying," Gold rolled his eyes as his patience wore thin, "I had the misfortune of crossing paths with this woman many years ago. She was young and had a great deal of power-"

"So you locked her up?" Snow asked.

"No," he stated, "I tried to teach her how to control her powers."

"Why?" Hook asked.

"One can never have too much power on their side," he explained, "unfortunately, as brilliant as she was, she couldn't keep her powers under control and was becoming far too dangerous, so I locked her away. For her own good."

"For _your _own good, you mean," Regina stated, "You locked her in a vault where you only put things that _you're_ afraid of."

"Have you seen this town?" Gold asked, "Whether or not I locked her away just to protect myself, I prevented one hell of a disaster, didn't I?"

"The answer to this particular dilemma is an easy one," Hook said, "The Dark one locked her up, she's angry at him, so-"

"Absolutely not!" Emma shouted, "That's not even funny."

"He has a point," Regina said with a nod, "Not that I'm one to agree with the pirate, but, it _is_ Gold's fault for locking her up in the first place."

"We do _not_ abandon people," Emma stated. Even though her own relationship with Gold was rocky, he was _still_ Henry's grandfather. She looked at her son who was being unusually quiet. In the past, he always had something to say at these meetings, but right now, he was just sipping his cocoa and warming up.

"So what do you suggest, Savior?" Regina asked.

Emma looked to Gold, "how did you do it before?"

"It's been a long time," he laughed, "I suppose I had a magical container of some sort. That's usually how I manage to trap powerful beings. However, seeing how out of hand things have gotten, I doubt she would want to go back _in_ said container and likely destroyed it."

"Where can we get another one?" David asked.

"My shop of course," Gold stated, "haven't we been in this town long enough to know I have just about everything we need?"

"We're going to need a better plan than that if we're going to get close enough to reel her in," Emma said, "We don't even know where she is."

"We split up," David suggested.

"Dibs on Hook's team!" Henry finally spoke up.

"You're not going anywhere young man," Regina stated.

Henry looked at Emma as if she held the power to veto the decision. Emma shook her head, "Sorry kid, it's too cold and too dangerous right now. You need to stay here with your grandma and uncle." Henry put his head down in defeat and Emma couldn't really blame him for being upset.

"You un-Charmings do whatever it is you do best," Regina said, "Gold and I will look through his shop and then we'll go to the forest. We all know that we have allies out there and it wouldn't hurt to bring them somewhere safe to plan our attack."

"Great," Emma nodded, "We split up, do some digging and meet back-"

"At noon," Snow demanded, "No one returns any later than noon."

"That doesn't give us much time," Hook informed her as he nodded towards the clock, "It's nearly nine already."

"Then that gives you about three hours," She said, "I'm not budging on this one. No one needs to come back with frostbite."

"We'll be back at noon," David agreed, knowing there was no arguing with a worried wife and mother, especially one who was probably a little resentful that she couldn't be of more help.

"I can be helpful," Ruby reminded them, "wolf thing?"

"We can cram in my truck" David told her, "if you're feeling okay. Still chilled?"

"Much better now," Ruby smiled, "and cramming into your truck will keep us warm."

"Provided it even starts," Regina rolled her eyes.

"A word of caution," Gold said, "should you see her, steer clear until we arrive with a way to contain her. I don't suggest going head to head with her unless you've got a death wish."

"Great," Emma said, "anything else?"

"Watch your hearts," he said, "I can fix many things, but if she manages to freeze your heart, well, she may as well have crushed it." On that final note, Gold and Regina poofed out of the apartment.

"Well," Emma said, "let's bundle up."

* * *

Miraculously, David was able to start the truck up despite the now bitter cold. The three seater protested the extra passenger by refusing to let the door shut properly. "If I fall out-" Hook frowned as he tried slamming the door again.

"You won't," Emma slammed the lock down, "just don't lean into the door."

"So," David said as the truck idled, "Regina's already claimed the forest, where should we get started?"

"We need to go back to the time portal site," Emma said as she scrunched her nose.

"What?" David asked, "Why?" He put the truck in gear and started heading in that direction.

"Call it a hunch?" Emma shrugged.

"Emma," Ruby laughed as the truck began moving, "what did you do?"

"She didn't do anything," Hook said, "I did. I was the one who picked up urn and I'm guessing Emma figured _that's _probably what started this all. You didn't have to lie for me either."

"Yes I did," Emma said, "You saw the look on Regina's face. She wanted the head of anyone she could point the blame at. I could be wrong and it could be something else, but if I'm right, we have to fix it before anyone finds out what happened."

"That's a stupid plan," Ruby said, "and you know it."

"She's right, Emma," David said, "You heard Gold, we can't face her on our own. Even with your magic-"

"Which you still don't know how to control all that well," Hook added.

David nodded, "Exactly. We'll be sitting ducks. We just need to find this person and give Gold a location and as much information as we can gather."

"I've avoided having my heart crushed my whole life," Hook said, "I'd rather not walk right into a certain death."

"And we trust Gold?" Emma asked.

"No." Everyone piped in unison.

"Exactly," Emma said, "we can figure this...what the hell?"

The truck began to sputter and finally gave out. The barn that housed Zelena's portal was a short walk, but the weather wouldn't make it easy.


	14. Chapter 14

****A/N: I have a couple more chapters that I've written and will be going through and editing them for posting. I've also got a few one-shots I've been working on as well. However, this may go on hiatus due to Camp NaNoWriMo this summer. Once I finish up with that, I will go back to working on this fic.*****

"What aren't you telling them?" Regina asked once she was certain she and Gold were alone.

"I told them everything they needed to know," Gold stated.

"That isn't like you," Regina raised an eyebrow. If there was one thing she knew about her mentor, it was that he was all about deception.

"Well," he grinned that sly grin that everyone knew so well, "should they decide not to heed my advice or should they get into trouble before we arrive, you won't have a Swan problem, I won't have a Hook problem and there's nothing we can do about that, is there? Charming and the wolf are merely collateral damage."

"Wait a minute," Regina laughed, "you're still trying to get rid of the pirate?"

"I'll be damned if he takes my grandson away too." Gold said, "And without Emma in the way, you can have your Henry back."

"No," Regina said, "nothing happens to Emma," with a sigh she added, "or her pirate. Or Charming and the wolf."

"Excuse me?" Gold asked.

"Hurting them would hurt Henry," Regina stated, "my son is not going to be your collateral damage."

Gold frowned, "I can't say I'm not disappointed in your sudden need to protect someone you tried to kill not too long ago."

"And who do you think is going to take the blame if something happens to them?" She asked.

"Perhaps the ones who brought this on the town in the first place," he answered.

"What?"

"Emma and Hook had something to do with this," he explained.

"How?" Regina asked, "They didn't touch anything."

"The fact remains, they are the last two people who were in my vault and the only ones to ever escape," Gold laughed, "couldn't you see she was lying?"

Regina thought about it for a moment, "How do you know she lied?"

"You and I both saw how quickly she came to Hook's defense," Gold continued, "and how he didn't say anything in his own defense at all?"

Regina frowned, going over this new information. She did recall Emma sharing a look with the pirate and it wasn't one that seemed pleasant. Still, she couldn't let anything happen to anyone, despite who was at fault. No matter how this started, Henry would only blame her and she knew it. "It doesn't matter," she said, "Nothing happens to them." _Not yet at least, _she added silently.

* * *

Emma zipped her coat up and hid as much of her face as she could in it. The wind was howling and the closer they got to the barn, the colder it got. "Does anyone think that maybe we bundled up _too _much?" Sure, her coat was great at keeping the wind out, but she couldn't help but feel as if she were cooking.

"It's a little warm," Ruby agreed, "but it's better than freezing."

Deciding Ruby was right, Emma dropped the thought. "So what's the plan?"

"We can't just show up at the front door," David stated, "but if I had to guess, I'd say this is where she's staying." The barn seemed to house the only calm area in town. As the wind threatened to knock them down, the run down building stood without even making a creak.

"We have to get closer," Ruby said, "Just to see what's going on." She nodded towards a snowbank, "We can get some cover there." The group moved for cover and ducked out of sight.

"Now what?" Emma asked, grateful that the bank also blocked the wind. She sunk down and tried to catch her breath. However, now that the wind was gone, she realized how much hotter it seemed to be with all the clothes her mother had her pile on.

"Emma..." Hook said, tapping her shoulder with his Hook.

Emma looked up at him, "can you not do that?" She attempted to knock his arm away.

"Emma," he said again, "look..."

She turned and took a peek over the bank to see what had him sounding so worried. Around the side of the barn, a large snow monster appeared.

"I believe in marshmallow men now," he said slowly.

Hearing what he said, David and Ruby took a peek as well, "I think we ducked under just in time," David said, "Hook, think you can get a closer look at things?"

"Aye," he said as he pulled his spyglass out of his coat pocket.

Emma ducked back down behind the bank, slowly starting to feel even more confined by all the layers. As Hook, David and Ruby watched the barn and the monster, Emma began peeling her coat off, then her gloves. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, she realized, but despite the cold, she felt like she was going to be roasted alive under all the clothing.

"Swan?" Hook asked when he looked to see why she wasn't looking out with the rest of them. She was wearing only a long sleeved shirt, her jeans and boots. Even her beanie had been tossed to the side. Thinking quickly, he caught David's attention and tossed him the spyglass. "Keep an eye out, mate," he said, "something's going on with Emma."

David looked down at Emma who was now pushing the sleeves up on her shirt, then looked up and nodded at Hook. Part of him wanted to tell the pirate that he'd take care of his daughter, but another part of him said Hook was about to have a hell of a time with a stubborn woman.

"Emma," Hook crouched down next to her, "what are you doing?"

"The snow feels so good," she grinned as she leaned back on the embankment. "I was overheating in all that clothing."

Hook pulled her away from the snow and brushed what he could off her back, "you'll catch your death if you insist on sitting out here like this." He took her sleeves and began to pull them back down as she went and pushed them back up. "Emma," he snapped, "this isn't funny, you need to put your clothes back on."

"That's the first time I've ever heard you say _that." _ She giggled, her voice getting louder as she spoke.

David looked down and quirked an eyebrow, "Will you contain her? We don't need anyone to hear us."

Hook clasped a gloved hand over Emma's mouth, "don't take this the wrong way, love, but you need to keep it down. Do you understand?" When Emma nodded, he removed his hand and started gathering her clothes, getting ready to get her back into them.

Emma however, continued to remove layers, her long sleeve shirt coming off next. "Ruby," Hook whispered, "help me."

Ruby looked down and saw Hook struggling to keep Emma from taking off any more clothes. If the situation wasn't serious, she would find the struggle amusing, but given the weather conditions and the threat of the sorceress or her snow monster finding them made it alarming. "David," she said as she ducked down to help Hook, "something's wrong with Emma."

David looked down again to see Emma was now putting up a fight against both Ruby and Hook. Neither one of them was making any progress with her. When one would get something on her, she'd turn around and fight it back off.

"It's _hot," _Emma protested as Hook failed at another attempt to get at least her coat on.

"We need to get her back," David said.

"She'll freeze to death before we get anywhere," Hook stated, "She won't keep her bloody clothes on!"

David poked his head over the bank again, using the spyglass to see what was going on, "we might be able to make it to the wood line for some cover if we hurry, but it'll be a long trek home and I don't know if we'll make it."

Hook frowned, what was happening to his Swan? "Emma," he said, "please at least put your coat on."

Emma made a face and Ruby knew they weren't going to get anywhere trying to reason with her. "David, tell us when we're clear. Hook, when he says we're good, we're going to get her out of here."

"Something's going on up there," David said, "the big guy is going back behind the barn. I think I see people now. You guys go," he instructed, "I'll catch up."

Ruby gathered Emma's discarded clothes and then tried to help the increasingly defiant woman to her feet. Emma protested and Ruby was getting frustrated.

"We're going to move Emma," Hook said, "let's go."

David crouched back down behind the bank, "we don't have a lot of time."

"We're trying!" Ruby insisted.

"Okay," Emma mumbled as she took Ruby's arm and tried to stand. She seemed to be a million miles away and unsteady on her feet.

"Come on Emma," Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to steady her, "We need to run."

"Don't think I can," Emma frowned, "How did everything get so foggy?"

"Perhaps it's because you insist on stripping out here," Hook stated. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Why couldn't she just listen to them? He wrapped his arm around her as well, "We'll get you there."

Emma relented and threw her arms around each of their shoulders as they began to hurry for cover. She had to admit, it _was _much easier than trying to walk.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This is going to be it for a little while. The end of June is upon us and I am going to start prepping for Camp NaNoWriMo in July. Hope you enjoy!**

Snow watched the clock as the minutes turned into hours. Before she knew it, it was almost noon and no one had returned yet. Henry smiled at her, as if to try and reassure her that everything would be okay, but it didn't seem to be working.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Snow answered it to find Regina with Robin, his son and his Merry Men on the other side. "I didn't want to just pop in," Regina said, "Thought it might be a little rude."

Snow smiled and moved aside so their guests could come in. Quickly, Henry went to the kitchen, saying something about making cocoa to warm everyone up and Snow went back to check on Neal, who had been bundled up even more in the past few hours.

"Where's Gold?" Snow asked.

"Doing what Gold does best," Regina answered, "leaving to handle things on his own."

_Just like Neverland,_ Snow thought. It scared her to think that he might have something else up his sleeve, just like he had before.

As if reading her mind, Regina nodded, "yes, I'm pretty sure he's up to no good. Don't worry though, we made sure nothing happened to Henry in Neverland and nothing is going to happen to anyone here." She looked around, noting the absence of the other group, "am I the first back?" She asked.

Immediately, Snow began to tear up, "Something's wrong," she said, "Hook might not be too motivated to listen to me, but David said he would bring them all back in time. He wouldn't do this last minute stuff, he'd be here by now."

Henry stopped what he was doing and went over to Snow, "I'm sure they're fine," he said, though now, he was beginning to worry, "Gramps and Hook won't let anything bad happen and Ruby and my mom are good at this stuff. They can take care of themselves. Right?"

"Right," Snow weakly smiled at her grandson, but Regina knew the princess was right.

"I'll go find them," Regina offered, "But I'm sure they're fine."

Henry took out his phone and gave it to Regina, "mom always has her phone on, so use the GPS to find her." Regina smiled and took the phone as Henry opened the app and showed her how to use it.

* * *

Emma was annoyed. No. Annoyed wasn't the right word. She was pissed. David had joined them at their makeshift site and helped Ruby and Hook make sure she was cocooned up in layers and unable to escape. The fact that it took all three of them should have been warning enough to leave her be, but they persisted. Now, all she was able to do was sit up against a tree and watch everyone else try and figure things out.

Quietly, she slipped further away from the situation at hand and further into her own mind, which felt as if it were on fire. She tried her best to tune out her companions who were now arguing amongst each other.

Stray words like, "time", "stuck" and "freezing" got through the wall she placed between herself and reality, but she didn't try to focus on anything but not roasting to death and how she was going to completely annihilate the three people who insisted she bake alive.

"We'll be fine," David stated.

"We are _so_ far from 'fine', it isn't even funny," Ruby argued, "We have just enough to get us _maybe_ through the night, if we don't freeze to death first. The truck is dead and Emma's pretty much flirting with that same fate."

"Don't say that," Hook warned. Nothing could scare him more and losing Emma just wasn't something he wanted to think about. In fact, he was pretty sure David was trying to avoid the exact same thought.

"Look at her!" Ruby waved an arm in Emma's direction, "she is slipping further and further into Emma-land as we speak! We're not far behind her either," she added, "we may be all bundled, warm and healthy now, but it's only a matter of time before this cold gets to us and we all start popping fevers and going crazy."

"It's not like you to panic," David clapped a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "we just need to relax. I think between the three of us, we can manage to get somewhere."

"So you and Hook can really carry Emma all the way home?" She asked, "Even though we _barely_ made it here in the first place?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Even though she only caught bits of their conversation, she knew, just _knew_ they were talking about her. She could feel them standing fairly close to her, but none of them bothered to try to include her in their conversation.

"Emma," someone had sat down next to her and was trying to play nice. "David said we're going to try and get back." It was Hook. Definitely Hook. "Can you help us out a little, love?"

"No," She stated, though it wasn't what she meant to say. Looking over at Hook, she could tell he was getting frustrated. With a sigh, she spoke again, "I mean I can't."

"Why not?" He asked.

Wasn't it painfully obvious? How the hell was she supposed to do _anything_ when they'd made sure she couldn't even move? "You tied me up. With my own coat. Do you know how humiliating that is?"

"Your father's idea. He's the one that actually did the tying. Ruby and I only held you down." A sheepish grin formed on his lips, "Sorry, but if you look at our history, I do kind of owe you on that one."

Emma let out a weak laugh. He was right, she had tied him up and cuffed him in attempts to immobilize him on more than one occasion. "I always thought you liked that," she joked.

"Please Emma," he laughed too, "can you try to help me out here? If I untangle you, promise you won't fight us."

"Okay," She nodded.

"Gold was right," Regina stated, suddenly appearing in a puff of smoke. She stood smack dab in the middle of the group and looked around, "he said you'd manage to get yourselves in trouble and here you are, in trouble."

"Well," Hook grinned as he looked up, "Never thought I'd say this, but it's good to see you Regina."

"Agreed," David said, "How did you find us?"

"GPS," Regina showed David Henry's cellphone, "It's a little quicker than going back home to make use of any magical items I have there."

"Not to sound rude or ungrateful," Ruby interrupted, "but Emma's going downhill fast and it will be just as easy to catch up back home."

"Noted," Regina nodded.

* * *

The loft was full when everyone returned. Snow quickly ran to her husband to embrace him, causing Regina to make a face.

Ruby looked around the room for space, but there was none. Hook wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep hold of Emma who really just wanted to sit back down. Ruby elbowed him and nodded towards the upstairs, "Maybe there's something up there."

"Help me?" he asked and Ruby nodded.

Snow turned to see the two of them dragging a still bundled Emma upstairs. Quickly, she followed them to see what was going on.

"Can you _please_ get me out of this stuff now?" Emma begged them once they had her sitting on the bed.

"She'll be okay," Ruby said, "We'll get her some blankets and she can ditch these layers."

Snow watched as the two of them untangled Emma's coat and began peeling clothes off until she was only in a cami and jeans. "What's wrong with her?" She finally asked, startling all three of them.

"Blankets," Ruby instructed without explanation, "and a thermometer, and Tylenol. Lots of Tylenol."

Snow quickly went to the bathroom and grabbed the medicine and thermometer, then stopped by a closet to pull out some blankets. Upon her return, she demanded answers, "What happened?"

"She started getting cranky," Ruby explained, "then she started complaining about being hot and the next thing we knew, she was stripping down in the snow."

Heavy footsteps sounded as Henry bounded upstairs to the room, "Gramps said to bring some water up," he said, "what happened to my mom?"

"It looks like she just has a fever Henry," Ruby said, trying not to worry the boy, "The water will help, she needs to take some Tylenol. A little rest and she'll be just fine."

"We're all gonna get sick," Henry stated as he handed over the water.

"It's just a matter of time," Snow agreed, "Robin's little boy isn't feeling well either. Until Regina found them, they were trapped in the storm."

"We've got this," Ruby assured Snow, "you just take care of that baby. Emma will be just fine, we all know she's a fighter. A little Tylenol and she'll be out like a light. We'll be down in a minute. David has some new information for us."

"Why don't you stay with her, Henry?" Snow gave her grandson a smile, "I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

"You just don't want me downstairs," Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Snow frowned. The kid had always been smart, but now that he was older, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep him from getting into trouble, "but you know you're going to pry the information out of us anyway. So, why don't you just stay with your mom?"

"Okay," Henry shrugged. Truth be told, he really didn't want to leave her side until he was absolutely sure she was okay.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Just a short one today. Spent a little too long cuddling that little new nephew of mine, so…yeah.**

**Anyway, tempers are flaring and Marian is beginning to wonder if she's doing the right thing. Next chapter will be focusing on Elsa and her journey. ;)**

Marian. It was the one name no one expected to hear after Gold informed them of the sorceress. But Ruby had been right to suspect she was involved. Once everyone had gathered back downstairs, David let them in on what he knew.

"I couldn't get close enough to hear anything," David explained, "but I _do _know that the barn is heavily guarded by some snow monster and that Marian is there. I saw her talking to someone, who I can only assume is the sorceress Gold warned us about. They seemed to be on friendly terms," he didn't want to upset Robin, but he couldn't lie either, "I can only guess that they've got some sort of alliance."

"The barn?" Regina turned to Hook, "well, isn't that a coincidence? Fess up, pirate. Was it you or your girlfriend?"

Snow stepped in, "blame and revenge isn't going to get us anywhere," she said.

"She's right, Regina," Hook frowned, "but if you're out for blood, look no further. Emma had nothing to do with it."

"I'm not sure if you're trying to be brave, or if you're really just that stupid," Regina laughed as she stepped towards him.

"Maybe both," he challenged back, "and if you think killing me is going to solve the problem, then you're equally as dimwitted."

A hand clasped Regina's shoulder, bringing her anger down a notch. "He's right." It was Robin. "Bloodshed among allies won't solve anything."

"Neither will freezing to death," Regina stated.

"Which is why we need to figure out how to take care of this," David insisted, "before anyone else gets sick. Because, face it, getting sick is _only _the beginning."

"He's right," Ruby agreed, "we already have two people down. How much longer do the rest of us have?"

"Henry and I will take care of the kids and Emma," Snow said, "They'll all be fine." She looked over at Robin, "Roland will be fine," she assured him, "and Marian will be fine too."

"Thank you," Robin nodded.

* * *

"My son is out there!" Marian shouted, "You can't just freeze over a whole town! You'll kill my boy!"

"You agreed with this!" The other woman argued.

"I didn't agree to an eternal winter," Marian stated, "this is ridiculous."

"You agreed that we needed to do whatever it takes. I told you what I could do and you said to do it. This is it. Once I start, I can't exactly turn it off."

Marian frowned, "what do you mean, 'can't turn it off'? Elsa..."

"Look," Elsa snapped, "I have my reasons for this too. If it means freezing a whole town and everyone in it, so be it." She didn't want to get into the particulars of it. As far as she was concerned, she had the power to do what was needed, draw out and destroy the enemy. "When you met me, you didn't ask _how _I could help you, only if I _could _help you!"

"What did he do to you?" Marian asked. She didn't know much about the other woman's past, only that she'd been betrayed and imprisoned. Elsa didn't answer, choosing to turn away instead. "Elsa, please," she begged, "what good is any of this if it means losing the ones we love?"

"I have nothing left to lose," Elsa said softly.

"I have everything to lose," Marian's heart sank. What had she done? All she wanted was her husband and son back. In her arms and away from the evil queen. Emma gave her a second chance at life and now she was here, squandering it on revenge. Revenge that, in the end, wouldn't even give her what she wanted. _What happened to me? _She asked herself. "I can't be a part of this," she finally told Elsa, "not anymore." What good would it do to get her husband and son back if they were frozen to death? Then, there was the fact that she wouldn't last much longer in this ice storm either.

"Nothing is keeping you here," Elsa snapped, "go!"

Marian stepped back, suddenly afraid of the woman who had become a friend and ally over the last couple days. "Nothing is keeping you here either," she said softly, "we can find a way to stop this."

"Will you just go?" Elsa growled.

Marian frowned, "I'll come back for you, Elsa." Whether or not Elsa took it as a threat or promise, Marian wasn't sure, but she knew that she couldn't just abandon the woman. She needed help, for both of them.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Ah…here we go! A couple flashbacks and some ANGRY Hook. I miss my wayward pirate.**

_Elsa scanned her surroundings and realized one thing: she was far from home. The small, crude barn she was in was a far cry from the castle she had been training at. Where the hell was she?_

_Suddenly, it was clear to her when she saw the open urn lying on the ground to her side. She remembered crying, feeling lost and alone, seeking comfort from a place it should not have been sought._

_She was a threat, being so unpredictable with her curse. No matter how hard she tried, once she crossed that line, she couldn't control anything. _

_Elsa looked back at the urn and scowled. Slowly, she pulled the glove off of her hand and froze the damn prison she'd just escaped from. _

_The memories didn't flood back, much to her dismay. Something about her prison had Swiss cheesed her mind. Bits and pieces flashed by, but made almost no sense to her._

_There were no answers for her here. No, she had to find the one responsible for imprisoning her. The one responsible for -_

_A flash of memory stopped her thoughts. For a brief moment, she saw a young, freckled, redheaded girl._

_"Anna..." She whispered. Where was Anna?_

* * *

The storm had calmed some, though that didn't put Hook, or anyone for that matter, at ease. At the moment, it was only the three of them, Hook, David and Robin, scouring the forest for more survivors. Regina had gone to get a closer look at the barn, and another group, including Ruby and a couple of Robin's Merry Men went off to comb the residential part of town.

Robin was the first to see her, struggling to move forward in the snow. "Marian!"

Hook looked up and followed Robin's gaze. When he saw her, he felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and sped towards her. When he reached her, he grabbed her by the arm, "I warned you!" He shouted, blind with rage.

"Shit," David muttered as the rest of the group caught up, "Hook!"

"Wait!" Marian tried to shout, but it only came out as a weak sputter.

"Wait?" Was she really begging him for mercy? "I warned you-"

"Hey!" Robin shouted as he took aim, firing one shot past Hook's head, "let her go. That's _your _warning, pirate," he said as he readied himself for another shot.

The shouts went unheard, but the arrow whizzing by his ear caught his attention. Hook didn't let go of Marian's arm, but turned to face Robin. "She's damned a whole town for her bloody revenge, and you want me to just let her go?"

"I made a mistake," she choked out.

"Oh, you're damn right sweetheart," Hook growled. He was beyond pissed and could feel himself slipping back into his old self. It would be easy to kill her, and likely satisfying. "I told you what would happen if you tried following through on your threats-"

"Let her go!" Robin shouted again. He didn't want to shoot the man, but feared he might have to.

"ENOUGH!" David yelled, "Hook! Let her go! Robin! Lower your weapon! We are _not _doing this. Let's bring her back and see what she has to say."

Hook let go of Marian's arm, but glared at her, "if anything happens to Emma, I'll kill you."

"Like hell you will!" Robin exclaimed, still aiming his weapon at Hook's head.

"Okay," David held up his hands, "we need to stop. No one is killing anybody. We're all on the same team. Let's just finish what we came to do and get back to the rendezvous point so Regina can bring us back."

"What did you come to do?" Marian asked.

"Find survivors," Hook grumbled.

"Come on," David said, "we've still got time and a lot of land to cover." He looked at Robin, "Your weapon?"

"Right," Robin lowered his weapon and went to Marian's side, his eyes never leaving Hook. "You try it," he warned, "I'll kill you."

_Of all the people I get stuck with, _David rolled his eyes, _next time, I'm going with Little John. _He couldn't really blame Hook for being angry, Emma said that Marian _had _threatened him, but David knew she wasn't the one who caused the storm. It was the sorceress. They had to find out who she was and right now, Marian was their best bet. Regina would likely find out something useful, but Marian was the one who had actually spent time with the ice queen.

* * *

_"Are you alright?" Marian asked the stranger, "It's cold out, do you need help building a fire?" _

_"I'm fine," the woman stated, "just...lost. Do you know what this place is?"_

_"Storybrooke," Marian answered, "you're not from around here, are you?"_

_"I'm from a place called Arendelle. Have you heard of it?" _

_"No," Marian shook her head, "I'm Marian by the way."_

_"Elsa," the woman smiled, "it's nice to meet you, Marian."_

_"I'm not from here either," Marian said, "I've only been here a few days. This place is different," she tried to explain, "It's the result of some sort of curse. It brought everyone from the enchanted forest to this realm."_

_"I've been to the forest," Elsa said, "I ran away from home to find someone who could help me." She furrowed her brow in frustration, "but someone trapped me and I can't seem to remember anything. Little memories come back here and there, but...I can't seem to make any sense of them."_

_"Maybe the person who trapped you is in this town," Marian suggested, "come with me. We can find them."_

_"I can't," Elsa shook her head, "I'm too dangerous."_

_"Then I'll find out," Marian offered, "I'm staying at the inn and I don't really do much other than people watch. I'm sure I can find something out that can help you."_

_"I arrived in that barn," Elsa pointed towards her temporary home, "come see me there. It seemed empty, so that's where I'll be staying."_

_Marian looked towards the barn and though for a moment. Did Elsa come through the portal with them? "Okay," she nodded, "are you sure you don't need anything for the cold?"_

_"I'll be just fine," Elsa smiled, "it doesn't really bother me. Thank you, Marian."_


	18. Chapter 18

"Emma!" Hook saw her sitting in the couch when he walked in the door. She looked like hell, but she was awake and coherent. That was enough for him at the moment.

Emma looked at him and smiled, but didn't say anything. She put a finger to her lips as if to shush him, then pointed to the couch. Next to her, Roland was sleeping peacefully. As the others filed in, Henry and Snow came downstairs, each with a pile of blankets. "I think you should go check on Neal," Snow whispered to her grandson. Henry knew it was just to keep him away from whatever was about to happen, but decided that he really couldn't argue. He put his blankets on the couch and then left the room.

Marian ran through the door, looking for her son, stopping the instant she saw him on the couch. With Emma. "We just got him to sleep," Emma said quietly.

"Is he..." Marian started to tear up, thinking the worst.

"Sick?" Emma finished her thought, "yes. He'll be fine though. His fever is going down. He just needs rest."

Marian looked at her, unsure of what to say. Just a couple days ago, she wanted nothing more than to hurt the woman who she felt was responsible for destroying her life. Now, that same woman was taking care of her son, and seemingly holding no grudge over the threats she'd made.

"Well," Hook said, "I _do_ hope you're a fan of irony."

Emma shot him a look, "now is not the time," she said. She may have been feeling better, but she was still groggy and battling a nice little headache that the Tylenol didn't seem to be touching. Dealing with an angry pirate was _not_ something she wanted to put on her to do list.

"Emma, she's responsible for both of you getting sick in the first place." Hook argued.

"That's not true," Robin cut in, still reeling from his earlier standoff with Hook. "Indirectly, maybe, but right now, we need to figure this all out before we start placing blame and making a bigger mess."

"We don't need to start this again," David said, "I know it's easy to lose our tempers, but that isn't going to help."

Robin and Hook glared at each other, both seeming to forget they were on the same side.

"As much as I would love to witness this little testosterone contest you two seem to be having," Regina finally spoke, as she came into the apartment, "the Prince is right. Need I remind you that both of you actually shared his opinion this morning?"

"Where's everyone else?" Snow asked, wanting nothing more than to stop the argument before it woke Roland up.

"I'll be meeting up with them shortly," Regina said. She wasn't thrilled with the fact that the one person they had found happened to be the one person she really didn't care to see. "Your wolf friend will be with that group, then I'll be going back up to the barn."

"Alone?" Emma asked.

"You're in no condition to go running around outside," Hook finally dropped his side of the bizarre staring contest and looked at her, "so don't think about it."

"Okay," Emma frowned, "I'm a big girl. I know what I can and can't do. That's not what I was getting at. I was just asking if she was going alone."

"It would be easier," Regina nodded, "I can get closer without a clunky group following me around. Whatever you saw earlier, was only the beginning. That building is heavily guarded now."

"Because of me," Marian stated, "I betrayed her trust. You can't hurt her though. She's just scared and confused."

"Are you insane?" Hook asked.

"Alright," Emma stood and offered her seat to Marian, then went to Hook, "that's enough from you." She understood his frustration, she really did, but right now, there was a sick little boy who needed his mother. At the moment, it didn't matter _how _they got into the situation, just that they find a way out.

"I'm leaving," Regina said.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" David asked.

"I'm fine," she shook her head, "just make sure world war three doesn't break out while I'm gone."

"What's going on with you two?" Emma asked Robin and Hook after Regina went back out.

"He was going to kill Marian!" Robin shouted.

"Upstairs," Snow demanded, "we are _not_ waking up that little boy."

No one wanted to argue with the princess, and everyone obediently filed upstairs, leaving Marian with her son.

"Okay," Emma said once they were upstairs, "please, tell me I was just hearing things down there." She looked at Hook, "you were going after Marian?"

"She threatened me and made good on her promise. It wouldn't be right to go back on my word," as the words left his mouth, he realized how stupid they sounded.

"You can't just kill people," Robin scolded.

"He had every right to," Marian came up the stairs and joined the group.

"No," Emma stated, "he didn't."

"I wouldn't have blamed him," Marian said, "I threatened him. I told him I would go after the two of you. I crossed that line," she looked at Hook, "you were right. I didn't see your warning for what it was."

"You didn't realize I meant it when I said I'd kill you?" He scoffed.

"No," she shook her head, tears starting to fall, "when you told me I would lose something if I kept going down the path I was headed. It's my fault. Now, instead of getting what I want, I'm going to lose my son."

Hook's expression softened as he realized how desperate Marian had truly been.

"You won't lose him," Emma said, "He's getting better. We just need to know how to stop this sorceress." She sat down on the bed, her head beginning to pound.

"More Tylenol?" Snow asked. When Emma nodded, she disappeared downstairs.

"Her name is Elsa," Marian said, "She's not a bad person, you have to believe me on that one. I met her about a week ago. I went into the woods to clear my head-"

"Wait," Emma stopped her, "Ruby said she barely saw you, except when you came down to eat."

"When I wanted to be alone, I didn't go through the diner," Marian said, "There's more than one way to leave the inn."

"But we never saw you in the woods," Robin added.

"I avoided you," she wouldn't face him, "I didn't want to see you." There was still too much hurt there, and now, it was coupled with the shame she felt over the fact that her actions had hurt the one person they both loved more than anyone. "I understand it's been a lot longer for you than it has for me. I understand you've moved on-" she started crying again.

"Marian," Robin frowned, "It was never my intention to hurt you-" she still wouldn't look at him.

"It doesn't matter," she said, "What matters is Elsa. She's not from our home, she went there in search of someone who could help her."

"Rumplestiltskin," Hook stated, recalling the conversation from earlier.

"The Dark One," Marian nodded, "apparently, it was a long time ago. She's from a place called Arendelle."

_Arendelle._ It was a place he hadn't thought of for a long time. "Arendelle?" Hook asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Marian said, "She said she ran away from home. Her memories are a bit fuzzy and we both think it has something to do with being trapped for so long. Did you bring something besides me back from the past?"

"Pretty sure we did," Emma said, "Not on purpose, but Gold said she was locked in his vault." She looked at Hook as if to say, "told you not to touch anything."

"I thought that might be the case, seeing as she said she arrived in the barn," Marian said, "she's been living there. After gathering information around town, I thought it likely the Dark One was the one who imprisoned her. Over the past few days, she's been getting bits and pieces of her memories and I guess he really did a number on her."

"Is she a princess?" Hook asked.

"What?" Marian looked at him, confused, "She didn't say, but I don't see how it's relevant."

"Did she happen to mention a sister?" He kept questioning her, "a little redhead?" When Marian didn't answer, his temper started up again. "Answer me!" He growled.

"Hey!" Emma smacked his arm, "calm down."

"She mentioned a sister," Marian nodded, "but not much about her. Said her name was-"

"Anna?" Hook sighed. When Marian confirmed it, he sat down on the bed and muttered something, though no one could understand what.

"Old flame?" Emma teased, trying to lighten the mood. When he didn't answer, she nudged him, "come on, it was a joke, what's wrong?"

"If we're talking about the same sisters, they should have been long dead," He stated, "like me. I know I may not look it, but I _do_ have a couple centuries under my belt, remember?"

"What?" David asked, coming out of his silence.

"I'm _from_ Arendelle, mate," Hook admitted, "Elsa and Anna? They were little girls when I served their father."

"The king you mentioned when you told me about your brother?" Emma asked.

"Aye," he nodded, "their father. I didn't _know_ them," he added, "but seeing as my brother worked closely with the king, I often found myself at the palace. They were there, usually running around and getting into mischief. I didn't realize Elsa had any sort of special powers though." He really didn't want to think about it. His past was his past and he fully intended to keep it buried there. Arendelle reminded him too much of Liam and how he'd lost the only family he had left over a damned plant.

"She was born with it," Marian told him, "and her parents saw it as a curse and something she needed to hide. It got out of control and almost killed Anna. She doesn't even know if Anna is still alive. In fact, if what you're saying is true, she's a few hundred years old and her sister is probably long gone by now."

"If Gold trapped Elsa, maybe he trapped Anna too?" Emma suggested, "He wanted Elsa for her power, so maybe he used her sister to manipulate her."

"Maybe that's why he decided to pursue Elsa on his own," David said.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I had this all written, then hated it and rewrote it. That's what's taking so long. I decided I needed some Hook angst. Bringing up memories of Arendelle and his brother seems to be the way to go. **

Henry came running up the stairs, Tylenol in hand. "Neal started crying," he explained as he handed the pills to Emma, "and Roland woke up."

Robin and Marian left to tend to their son. David looked over at Hook, "I always assumed you were from the enchanted forest, like the rest of us."

"I've seen many realms in all my travels." Hook stated, "Arendelle is where I started, the enchanted forest is where I ended up."

"That doesn't make sense," Henry said, "because when the curse was destroyed, it sent everyone back. I couldn't go because I was born here. Wouldn't it have sent you back to Arendelle?"

"Maybe you _weren't_ born there," Emma suggested.

"I don't know," Hook snapped, "and I bloody well don't care. If you _must_ know, you can go find my parents and ask them. They're both likely in shallow graves somewhere in Arendelle." He fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Emma wasn't sure what to say. Did he really just snap at her? David opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head. Silently she shooed David and Henry out of the room. She fell back and stared at the ceiling with him.

"I'm sorry," he said, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," he said.

"Here," she held out her hand that still held the Tylenol.

"What's this for?" He asked as he took the pills from her.

"The headache I know you're getting," she answered, "water's on the night stand."

"Thank you," he said, wanting to ask how she knew he was getting a headache, then figured it must be written all over his face. "This will help?"

"Yeah," she said. _Unless you're me._ The Tylenol wasn't helping her headache at all. At least she didn't feel like she was burning alive anymore. "It's getting dark," she said as he got up to get the water and take the medicine. "I'm gonna try and catch some sleep."

"You need it," he said, "but I'm glad you're feeling better."

"It's about all I can do at the moment," she laughed, "I feel better, but I still feel like shit. You should probably get some rest too," she suggested, "It'll help the headache. You should also lay off the rum until that stuff works its way out of your system." She got up and moved so she could get under the covers.

"Why can't I-" he turned to look at her, but it seemed as if she was already out. With a laugh, he kissed her on the cheek.

"You aren't staying?" She mumbled.

"I should really help," he said.

"With what?" She asked, "It's getting dark and people need rest. If they need you, they'll come get you."

Hook rolled his eyes. She knew he couldn't say no and made sure to use that to her advantage. "Alright."

"Drop that hook," she teased, "I'd rather not add stitches to my list of ailments."

* * *

_"Captain Jones?" _

_Lieutenant Jones turned to see Anna, the youngest princess. "Afraid not, princess," he offered her a smile and a bow, "he's busy talking to the king."_

_"Oh," she said, but she didn't leave, just studied him for a few minutes. Finally, she spoke again, "so who are you?"_

_"I'm Lieutenant Jones," he said._

_"Are you the Captain's brother?" She squeaked, "You must be! You have the same name!"_

_"I suppose," He said._

_"So, you must be a lot of fun too," she decided._

_Killian laughed at the thought. The little girl was the first person he had ever met who described his brother as "fun". Arrogant, stubborn, ass...words like that were closer to the truth. He looked around the room, "isn't someone supposed to be watching you?"_

_"My sister," she admitted, "But she's being so boring today. Hey! I know! Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

_"I hate to be the one to tell you this, princess," he knelt down so he could look her in the eyes, "But it isn't snowing."_

_Anna rolled her eyes and giggled, "if you say so. So, how about you help me ride my bike?"_

_The kid was tugging at his heartstrings in the worst possible way, "I'm sorry, I really can't. See, my brother is meeting with the King right now and in a few moments, they'll need to speak to me. I can't just run off and play. It would be irresponsible."_

_Anna wrinkled her nose, obviously disappointed that her new friend was not much fun at all. "Well, I'm the princess and that means that the man your brother is talking to is my daddy. So, you can come play and if he gets mad, I'll tell him that I commanded you! You have to listen to your princess, right?"_

_"I suppose I do," he nodded, damn, the girl knew how to play people. "So, what do you want, highness?"_

_"Wait here," she demanded. _

_Killian stood again and waited for the little girl to come back. After a few moments, he figured she probably got distracted and found someone else to play with, but eventually, she came back, wheeling her bicycle with her. _

_"Hold this," she instructed and he gripped the handlebars, holding the bike steady as she climbed on. "Okay, now you gotta run with me."_

_"I'm sorry, what?" He asked. _

_"You keep me steady while I peddle," she huffed, obviously annoyed at his inability to understand._

_"Okay," he said slowly, holding the bike steady as she worked to get it moving. Eventually, she had a good pace and Killian found himself having to literally run to keep hold on the bike. _

_"Let go!" She shouted with glee. _

_"What?" No way in hell he was letting go. _

_"I got it now," she insisted, "let go! I'm the princess, you gotta listen!"_

_Against his better judgment, he let go and to his surprise, he found she was doing pretty well on her own. "Princess!" He shouted as she sped up, "be careful!"_

_"I got it!" She giggled back. _

_He watched as the bike started wobbling and cringed when it toppled and she fell. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," he muttered as he ran towards her, "are you alright?" He knelt down beside her and helped her up, "princess?"_

_At first, her eyes welled up with tears, but she was smiling. "I think my tooth finally came out," she giggled as a few stray tears fell down her cheeks. _

_"Open up!" He instructed, "Let me see!" She opened her mouth, and sure enough, there was a little blood and a missing tooth. "Where is it?"_

_"I swallowed it!" She started hiccupping. _

_"What is all this racket?" A voice bellowed._

_Killian stood up quickly and paid his respects to the king, knowing for sure he would lose his head over this. Dammit, the only reason the King had any sort of faith in him at all was because of his brother's word. Now he'd gone and killed the princess. _

_"Daddy!" Anna cried out as she ran across the room to meet her father. _

Here it comes, _Killian thought,_ she's going to turn on me and tell him I pushed her bike into the wall.

_Liam walked over to Killian and clasped a hand on his shoulder, "I see you've met the little spitfire," he whispered, "what did she con you into?"_

_"Am I dead?" Killian was worried. He was pretty sure injuring a princess, especially a little girl, was a crime punishable by death. _

_"She has that man wrapped around her little finger," Liam said, "you'll be fine. Last winter, she had me out in the snow building a bloody snowman."_

* * *

Hook woke with a start and looked around the room. It was pitch black, leading him to realize it had to be at least sometime in the middle of the night.

"What?" Emma groaned.

"Sorry," he whispered, "go back to sleep."

Something in his tone must have set her off because she sat up and felt his forehead, "you're not hot, what's wrong? Don't say you're fine either, because you're not."

"Just..." He thought about what he should tell her, "nothing. Bad dream. Go back to sleep." He needed air in the worst possible way. Quickly and as quietly as possible, he climbed out of bed and made his way downstairs.

People littered just about every available space in the apartment. Hook did his best to keep from stepping on anyone as he made his way to the door and slipped out.

The air was frigid on the hall and he realized someone must have been able to heat the apartment, because it wasn't nearly as cold.

"Hey," a voice whispered.

Hook turned around to see Henry trying to close the door without making too much noise. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Do you wanna build a snowman now?" Henry asked.

"Lad," Hook sighed, "you have _got_ to stop asking me that." Dammit, he couldn't shake the image out of his head and Henry's insistence on going out to play in the snow was only making things worse.

"Why?" Henry asked, "it's kind of tradition when it snows. You _do_ know what a snowman is, right?"

"Yes," He answered.

The door opened again, this time, Emma came out. She looked surprised to see Henry. "What are you two doing?"

"I saw Hook leaving," Henry stated, "I thought he might be going outside, so..."

"So you wanted to see if you could go out and play in the snow?" Emma guessed, "Get back in the house. It may be calmer than earlier, but it's still too dangerous for you to go running around out there." Henry reluctantly obeyed, going back inside without arguing. "What's wrong with you?" She asked once they were alone.

"Nothing," he said.

"Nothing doesn't get up and run out the door," she said as she slipped her hand into his, "talk to me."

Hook didn't want to talk, the memories, even the good ones, were painful. He'd done his best to bury them, and now, they were here, staring him in the face. Talking would take him there and he needed to be _here._ He pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her waist. Releasing her hand, he brought his up and cupped her face, tracing his thumb over her cheek. "I don't want to talk," he said.

Emma saw nothing but pain in his eyes and couldn't for the life of her figure out what was causing it. "Killian..." Before she could finish her thought, his lips were on hers and she was gone. It was a far cry from the sweet and gentle kiss they shared at Granny's, and much closer to the one they shared in Neverland. He took complete control and all she could seem to do was brace herself. She gripped tightly to the one arm around her waist and with her other hand, she grabbed a fistful of his hair. He responded with a bite to her lower lip. "Stop," she was so out of breath, she could barely rasp the word.

"Emma," he pulled back a little, his lips still hovering dangerously close to hers, "I need you."

God, her heart broke into a million pieces. His statement was so full of sadness, she knew he was trying to do anything to forget whatever was bothering him. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked. There was something. He wasn't only trying to distract himself, he was trying to distract her from questioning him further. She relaxed her grip on his hair, finally able to catch her breath.

"I lied," he admitted.

"About?" Emma's heart sank. Did he really have to screw things up _this_ soon?

"The girls," he said, "Emma, I knew them."

"Why did you lie about that?" She asked.

"I really didn't think it was relevant," he said, "and it likely isn't."

"Okay," she wasn't quite understanding why a couple of children he knew hundreds of years ago were bothering him. "Let's sit down," she suggested as she let go of him, relieved that he let go as well, taking her advice and sitting down. She sat next to him and took his hand.

"As I told Marian, I spent a lot of time at the palace, but my brother and I didn't just see the girls in passing." He frowned, "they knew us. Elsa was a little older, a lot more mellow and definitely the more serious of the two. She usually spent her time trying to keep Anna from getting me into trouble."

"A little princess got you in trouble?" Emma smiled, "really?"

"I won't lie," a small smile took over as he recalled his earliest adventures at the palace, "Anna was my favorite. She was the most angelic little hellion I'd ever met. The first time I met her, she had me running her damned bicycle around the palace so she could ride it. No fear in that girl. She wouldn't take no for an answer either. Every time I said I couldn't play, couldn't get into one of her ridiculous schemes, she played the princess card. The only reason I'm still alive to tell the tale is because she had her father wrapped around her little finger."

"Sounds like she had you wrapped around it too," Emma laughed, "So why is that a bad thing? It sounds really sweet."

"Things started changing around the kingdom," Hook stated, "Elsa became more withdrawn and Anna, more lonely. She loved her sister and I could see how much she looked up to her."

"Hardly your fault," she reminded him.

"I abandoned her, Emma," he finally blurted out, "I was so lost in my anger at our king, that I forgot the one promise I made to the little girl who wanted nothing more than someone to pay attention to her. It was the same day Liam brought back those orders for our mission to Neverland."

"Wait," Emma stopped him, "how is that abandoning her? You may have turned on your king-"

"Emma," he interrupted, "she saw me that day. She and Elsa had gotten into some argument and she was distraught. When a girl like Anna comes to you with tears in her eyes, it breaks your heart. There was so much unrest in the kingdom with the threat of war on the horizon and then, there's this little girl, who's upset that her sister seems to hate her and she's afraid because she feels no one will protect her anymore. She begged me not to go, to stay, but I had my orders, and I wasn't about to ruin my career over a child. So, I did the next best thing. I promised her I would always return and I would protect her."

"Then Neverland happened," she said.

"Aye," he nodded.

"But what could you have done?" She asked, "You made a promise to a little kid. You didn't know what was going to happen." Dammit, she couldn't think of anything to say that would make him feel better, "She was young and you had what, a couple years in her life? A blip on the radar for a little girl."

"You think I haven't told myself that?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it, just bitterness. "Emma, I'm not the praying type, but I've prayed time and time again that my betrayal didn't hurt her, hoping that she'd long since forgotten me. I buried every damn memory of that place. Thinking of her, Arendelle, it only reminds me of all I lost, how far I've fallen. But dammit, she needed someone and she came to me for help and I turned my back. I always hoped that maybe things smoothed out after I left and the girls had a good life. Now, I'm learning that's the furthest from the truth. If Elsa suffered at the hands of Rumplestiltskin, I'm almost certain Anna did too."

"So now you're seeing ghosts," she understood. Even if his promise had long been forgotten by Anna, _he _still remembered it and felt that his failure to keep that promise was now eating him alive.

"We say nothing," he finally said, "as far as anyone else is concerned-"

"You never met them," Emma finished. She could keep that secret for him.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Again, thank you for the feedback. I lost a little direction for a bit, but I think I found my way again. **** I really want to get some Outlaw Queen in here, but this may wrap up sooner than I'd hoped. However, if it doesn't happen, I have a few little story ideas budding in my head. **

_Elsa didn't know which way was up anymore. Running away was the easy part, her subjects were so quick to reject her. The hard part was getting away from Anna. _

_Anna, who had felt the need to follow her everywhere when they were children, continued to stay by her side now that they were adults. Leaving the palace, or even the kingdom, wasn't enough. If Elsa truly wanted to keep her sister safe, she knew she'd need to leave the realm entirely. _

_Sailors were adept at slipping through realms and Elsa knew of several who could get her out of Arendelle quickly and quietly. Though, she had to admit, dealing with less than honorable men wasn't something she had much experience with. She figured the only sailors she did know wouldn't remember her and likely wouldn't return to this realm after what they did. Betraying her father wasn't even the worst of it. The younger one had broken her sister in the worst way possible. She tried to shut out the memories of the countless nights she heard Anna crying. _

_It wasn't that Anna felt betrayed, it was that she feared something terrible had happened to her friend. Elsa knew the truth though, Anna's friend had turned his back on her, and on Arendelle. _

_Still, a familiar face wouldn't hurt at the moment, but as she scanned the ships in the harbor, she realized she would be going it alone. _

_There had been rumors of a dark sorcerer in a distant realm. Elsa often found herself eavesdropping as the men at the docks told their tales. If anyone could teach her how to control her power, she was certain it would be him. She knew she'd have to go soon, before Anna found her again. Taking in a deep breath, Elsa made her move. _

_Anna was mere steps behind her._

* * *

Elsa looked at the man that stood before her. He didn't look the same as she remembered, but there was no mistaking who he was. Marian told her that the town she had found herself in was a cursed remnant of another realm.

"You wanted me, dearie?" Rumplestitlskin stood in front of his former pupil, "I see you still haven't learned how to control all this. Not that it bothers me all that much, if you choose to damn an entire town for your revenge."

"I didn't damn anyone," Elsa spat, "you damned yourself."

"Not so fast," he held up a finger, "you aren't angry with me over a mere imprisonment," she glared at him as he chuckled, "am I correct?"

"I lost _everything _because of you," she said, tears beginning to form.

"Are you talking about your sister?" He asked, "If I recall, that tragedy was not my doing."

Elsa turned away from him, "no," her voice quieted as she tried to piece together what little memories she had, "but if it weren't for you, it never would have happened."

"_You_ killed her," he stated, "not me."

"Shut. Up." Her voice cracked, giving away the fact that she had started crying.

"Your anger is misguided," a cruel laugh escaped as he taunted her further, "You seek vengeance for your sister, yet refuse to look in the mirror and go after the _real _culprit."

"Shut! Up!" She shouted.

The ground shook and before Gold could react, he was encased in ice. "Well," she scoffed as she turned back to him, "it looks like I _did _learn something after all. Tell me, Dark One, why was I such a threat to you? Surely, the weak princess would never be a match for someone as great and as terrible as you?"

The ice around Gold melted as if it were nothing, "I never said you were a match for me, dearie, just uncontrollable." He took in her look of shock as a small victory. "What?" he asked, "you think a bit of ice can stop me?"

"What did you want from me then?" She stepped back, unsure of what he'd try next.

"What I wanted was power," he said, "and while you're no match for me, there is no denying your abilities."

"So," Elsa frowned, not sure what he was getting at, "you locked me away because you wanted my power?"

"I locked you away because you were far too dangerous to leave unchecked," he said, "your particular brand of magic is different than what one would find in the enchanted forest. If you can't control it-"

"Then neither can you," Elsa realized. She had a chance then. All she needed to do was keep from getting imprisoned again, or worse.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, dearie," he said, "I may not be able to do a thing about this storm, but I can stop you from making it worse."

"You mean to kill me?" She asked.

"Of course not," he rolled his eyes.

Elsa knew that if he didn't want her dead, he thought she was still useful. However, that meant he would likely attempt to lock her up again. Thinking quickly, she built up a few more snow monsters, hoping the distraction was enough to buy her an escape.

Gold didn't hesitate and ripped through them as if they were nothing. Every shot she took, every distraction she attempted, he overcame with no problem.

_"I may not be able to do a thing about this storm..."_

Elsa realized the only thing she could do that would have any effect on him was to make the storm worse.


End file.
